Convergent Paths
by JonHarper
Summary: Ba'al has stolen a valuable peice of technology from the Tollan which could tip the balance of power in his favor. In a desperate bid to stop him the Tollan turn to the only people who can beat him leading SG1 on an adventure into another universe.
1. Chapter 1

**Convergent Paths**.

**Authors notes and background information**.

Well this is a new story between Andrew James Williams, LightingCount and myself Its set about season 9 to season 10 of SG-1 but as has become rule of fics I've done as of late the Ori will not be present. This is an Alternate Universe so things are bit different here. For one the Tollan are still very much around but have a strained almost non existent relationship with Earth. Another thing is the Goa'uld are still around as a significant enough threat that the Jaffa are. The Victory at Dakara by the Free Jaffa and the SGC did not convince as many of their brethren to reject their false gods as the Free Jaffa would have hoped. Instead the Armies of the System lords and the Armies of the free Jaffa while not exactly equal are enough that the Goa'uld will not just go quietly without a fight. The Free Jaffa's relationship with Earth is more cordial as a matter of consequence to this political and military situation. They see Earth's growing power and believe it may be the key to tip the balance in their scale. Still; much distrust of the Tau'ri linger within the circles of the free Jaffa particularly by the more traditionalists lead by Gareks coalition.

**Historical Note: Recent developments in Tau'ri/Tollan Relations**

Relations between the SGC and the Tollan Curia took a turn for the worst following the resolution of the attack by Tanith's forces. Col.O'neill and Teal'c of SG-1 were successful in deploying a Tollan phase shifting bomb aboard Tanith's Flagship. Two other motherships were destroyed by concentrated fire from Tollana's remaining Ion cannons and caused the other 3 to flee with heavy damage thanks in no small part to Major Samantha Carter and Daniel Jackson who convinced the Tollan defense force to concentrate their fire on one ship at a time. After the conclusion of hostilities with Tanith's forces the Tollan concentrated on building a more powerful version of their Ion cannons, their current cannons in service being an almost 100yr old design. Recent technological breakthroughs would allow the Tollan to build an Ion Cannon with the same energy requirements as the first model but would have 3 to 4 times the power of the original models which would make short work of a mothership Anubis upgrades or not. These Mark 2 cannons would be deployed soon after in conjunction with the Tollen phase shifting missiles to protect Tollana. When the Tollan Curia informed Stargate Command of its deployment of these new weapons the SGC immediately sent SG-1 and a high level diplomat from the State department, Joseph Faxon to negotiate. A dialogue would continue back and forth for the next 2 months but unfortunately for the SGC the recent actions of saving the Tollan people from certain annihilation (again) did nothing to sway the Curia from its policy of not supplying advanced weapons and Technology to developing worlds, particularly as Tollana was once again safe from the Goa'uld.

Frustration and resentment had been growing for months with the lack of progress in the negotiations, the Tollan continued to show an ungrateful, morally superior attitude towards the Earth delegation as the memory of the attack faded and the threat became less urgent. This fact coupled with the Curia downplaying SG-1s involvement in defense of Tollana and the near attack on Earth by the Tollan (under Orders from Tanith) became the final straw. Ambassador Faxon would be recalled and Earth would practically sever all ties with the Tollan in favor of establishing diplomatic relations with a seemingly equally advanced society, one that appeared open to sharing their technology with Earth, the Achen. However the Achen quickly proved to be far from the benign allies the SGC had hoped for.

When SG-1 and Ambassador Faxon discovered the Achen's plot to sterilize the population. In the ensuing escape Ambassador Faxon sacrificed himself buying Major Carter the time she needed to escape to Earth and warn the SGC of the Achen plot. An attack on Earth with a weapon of Mass destruction was thwarted when the Achen realized Major Carter and Ambassador Faxon were on to them, Ambassador Faxon's status is M.I.A (Missing in Action) presumed killed.

With 2 Catastrophic failures to procure superior technology from off world Allies the SGC and the Pentagon shifted focus to reverse engineering the technology they had acquired from their numerous skirmishes with the Goa'uld. Recent breakthroughs in understanding Goa'uld technology allowed Earth to begin development of the X-302 interceptor and X-303 _Prometheus_ programs. Modular in construction these prototypes were built piecemeal over the course of several years and would become the backbone in the new defense strategy of Earth.

With the Aid of the Asgard Earth has been able to develop even more advanced ships such as the 304 _Daedalus_ class which uses more Asgard technology in favor of the Goa'uld tech more common on _Prometheus_.

**Convergent Paths.**

**Chapter 1 Theft.**

It was a day that started out like any other aboard research station 01 orbiting Calphina a small Colony recently established by the growing Tollan nation. Calphina; a small world with an Earth like atmosphere and temperate climate was 700 light years from Tollana. It boasted a modest population of 7,000 people mostly research staff, miners and their families. It was also one of Tollana's primary trinium mines supplying Tollana with the invaluable raw materials needed to build their nation. The station itself was a peculiar design with a dark grayish egg like structure at its center and 2 habitation pods branched out from either side. It floated in geosynchronous orbit over the main settlement, in the center of the structure the brightest minds of the Tollan people were currently hard at work on their greatest achievement yet, an achievement that would change the way the Tollan would view the universe.

Director Orthan moved quietly down the main corridor of the station heading towards one of its many science labs, he had just been informed of yet another successful test on the QSDD or Quantum Subspace Displacement Drive one the many projects within this facility that Orthan oversaw. With this new drive technology the Tollan could travel dimensions the same way they traveled the stars. Quantum Universe theory was not a new one to the Tollan, they had theorized for over 200yrs of the possibilities of alternate realities within the multiverse. After centuries of methodical and careful study it seems they may have finally done it. After the initial successful test of the drive system the first of the 2 prototypes had been sent back to Tollana via the Stargate for evaluation by the Curia. It was one thing to create something such as the QSDD, but to utilize it properly and to make sure it wasn't abused was something else entirely. Orthan grunted in amusement as he thought on the situation, deliberations within the Curia could take years even a decade before they decided on the best course of action to take with the new technology. He was scheduled to speak before the Curia in the coming week about the possible benefits of traveling to meet other societies across the dimensional barrier.

He was startled from his revere by an alarm klaxon that sent many of the people in the corridor with him scrambling. Pulling a communicator from his pocket he called the stations main control room. "Control this Orthan what is happening?"

"We have Al'kesh ships decloaking around the station and sensors show multiple Ha'tak class ships exiting hyperspace!" the slightly panicked voice came back over the net.

The Goa'uld! By the Shermock how could they have found this location? It was just off the gate network and the Tollan took great pains to keep its location secret only moving a formerly inactive gate on the planet 3 months ago. "Raise shields and power all Ion cannons. Can we send a message back to Tollana?"

"Negative Sir! All long range transmissions are being jammed."

"How many Motherships are there?" Orthan asked as he jogged to the main control room. He hoped there was at least a chance they could fight their way out of this situation if it came to that.

"Count holds steady at 34 Ha'taks, 26 Al'kesh and a ship like I've never seen before...wait sir the Ha'taks are deploying deathgliders...hundreds of them!"

Orthan's lowered his head and sighed in defeat before continuing his trek to the main control room, the station was still equipped with the mark 1 Ion cannons the Tollan had used years ago which wouldn't be much of a threat against 2 upgraded Motherships let alone 34. Added to the fact the station only had class 3 shields and Orthan knew that resistance was hopeless against such a force.

"Contact Talia and tell her to get to the lab quickly."

"Right away sir."

Orthan arrived in the main control room and looked at the main monitor which showed dozens of ships and hundreds of gliders moving to surround the station and one ship more massive and menacing than anything Orthan had yet seen. The flagship was black with an oval center unlike the typical pyramid central core that dominated Goa'uld ship designs. It had several arms that protruded from the main body surrounding the hull and was more than 8 kilometers in length. A careful scan of the vessel showed its shields were easily capable of taking sustained fire from the station and its weapons were more than capable of taking out the station itself. Orthan noted in some small relief that so far none of the ships had descended towards the planet. Meaning this wasn't a typical invasion, but a raid and their timing couldn't be coincidence Orthan thought darkly. Still; Orthan doubted the Goa'uld would leave anyone alive on the planets surface, once they finished their business here they would surely kill the unsuspecting population below...like they did his wife and children all those years ago.

"Were you able to contact Talia?" Orthan asked the female technician in front of him.

The main control room of orbital station 1 was a design unique to the Tollan. It was a series of control stations arranged in 3 half spheres in a triangular ascending order. The rightmost station (currently occupied by Orthan and the female technician) was of the lowest elevation while the station to the left was slighter higher in elevation. The third station in the center of the room; just shy of the main monitor that dominated the far wall was of the highest elevation and was usually where the command staff would conduct the operations of the station. If one were to look down on the set up it the design would see the design as a series of half spheres arranged in a triangular design. It was a design that worked well for the Tollan but unfortunately today most of the command staff was planet-side enjoying some free time with their families, meaning Orthan was the person with the highest rank aboard and thus the defacto leader.

"Negative sir, we kept trying until you arrived she has not responded."

Orthan frowned at the news that wasn't like Talia.

"Ok we will just have to do this another way. Compile all system logs from the research database and prepare to initiate full system wipe of all information pertaining to our research here. We cannot allow the Goa'uld to gain access to our technology." Orthan said.

"Yes sir." the technician focused on her displays then frowned. "Sir I'm locked out of the system."

"What!?" Orthan gasped.

"I am unable to gain access to the research database." The technician repeated.

"A malfunction?" Orthan asked.

"Unlikely we ran a diagnostic this morning and everything came back in the green." She tapped a few more controls and was rewarded with more data that scrolled across her screen "I still have access to station operations, weapons, shields, sensors and the like, but I can not access the research database...It seems the lockout was initiated from the Lab."

"Let me see that." The technician dutifully vacated her seat to Orthan who took it and scrutinized the system monitor. He attempted to input his own security code only to get a flashing red 'ACESS DENIED' on the screen.

"What the?" Orthan asked in bewilderment. As a senior member of the Tollan Science Council as well as the lead scientist on the QSDD project Orthan had the highest level clearance of his government meaning his code should have worked. He attempted to input his code twice more only to achieve the same result.

Rising from the seat allowing the technician to retake her station Orthan's mind worked furiously. "Try to contact the Lab." Orthan began "If Talia is there relay my order to destroy all records of all projects and to destroy the QSDD prototype immediately."

"Yes sir." the technician complied then frowned again. "Sir I'm unable to raise the lab."

"Say that again?" Orthan paled hoping he had not heard her right.

"I can't raise the lab; it is as if the comm. channel has been locked out."

"But I just came from there and everything was working fine." Orthan protested "Ok get on the PA system and issue the order then." Orthan said switching tracks.

"Yes sir." the technician responded curtly then her face turned ashen. "Sir the PA system is also offline, infact all internal communications just went down, we only have short-range outbound communications."

"Please tell me you can get it back?" Orthan asked dreading what her answer might be. The timing of the Goa'uld's arrival was just too good to be coincidence. He had a growing suspicion in his mind as to what was happening but he soon squashed it as impossible, it was too horrible to even consider, yet the _timely_ arrival of the Goa'uld fleet with another successful testing of the QSDD, the sudden lockout from the database and the loss of communications...

"By the Shermock what is going on here?" Orthan whispered as his mind refused to believe his disturbing conclusion. Breathing deeply to regain his composure Orthan couldn't help but feel that time was slipping away, as if the fates had turned against him. He turned to the main monitor watching as the Last Goa'uld Mothership fell into position completely surrounding the station. Gliders and Al'kesh could be seen maneuvering; flying circles around the station like a pack of ravenous hyenas circling their cornered prey.

"We are being hailed be the flagship." Another technician spoke up. At a nod from Orthan the Image of an immaculately dressed System Lord with a well trimmed goatee sat arrogantly on his throne as if victory had already been achieved. The room itself was well lit by the traditional torches the Goa'uld preferred, casting an orange hue to the room. To his front and just left of the monitors edge a Jaffa warrior could be seen manning a station.

"Good evening." the System lord smiled arrogantly. "By now you have no doubt come to the conclusion that any form of resistance would surely lead to your deaths." He rose with a grace not usually associated with a Goa'uld and moved forward until his upper torso dominated the viewer.

"I am Orthan, Director of the Tollan Science Council. Who am I addressing?" Orthan asked trying to hide his disgust of the arrogant system lord before him.

His answer came in the form of a smile that seemed even more arrogant, if that were possible. "I am Ba'al, and you have something that could be of great value to me."

Orthan's blood ran cold at that statement, he was referring to the QSDD there was no doubt of it now. No one on the station bar his research staff and the highest ministers in the Curia knew of its success. And the Goa'uld were usually not interested in technology that had no value for their power. This was a major breach in security but one he doubted he'd live long enough to inform the Curia on.

"Yes." Ba'al replied seeing the look of abject horror on Orthan's face "I know of your Quantum Subspace drive. I am a God after all, Gods are all knowing." Ba'al gloated as he rubbed his hands together. "You will turn over the technology to me and I will grant my mercy as a God and leave this system in peace."

A lie, but one told convincingly enough to sound sincere Orthan thought. Unlike many of his people Orthan was not naive enough to believe the words of a Goa'uld or the excuses some in the Curia made for their attack on Tollana. He'd heard much of their reputation before the attack and he'd personally felt the sting of their cruelty. With the QSDD they'd be able to wreak havoc not only within this galaxy but on worlds across the multiverse, and that was something Orthan could not allow...but the cost.

"No." a small word yet one that held much power behind it and the implications for the people he was responsible for. On the screen Ba'al arced his eyebrows and smirked.

"Surely you must realize you have no hope of defeating me. Not to mention you place the lives of the inhabitants of this world in jeopardy by refusing me." Orthan reflexively gazed at the men and women in the room all of them had family in one form or another on the planets surface.

"Do the right thing." Ba'al pressed sensing his opponent wavering. "There is no need to see them sensesly slaughtered."

Orthan's emotions were in conflict; his duty was to protect his people both on the station and on the planet as well as the secrets of his people. He also knew at same time he couldn't trust the word of a Goa'uld. Even if Orthan surrendered to his demands there was no guarantee the Goa'uld wouldn't kill them all for his amusement. Not to mention the horror the Goa'uld would wreak on unsuspecting worlds in the Multiverse, and the responsibility for all of it would be laid at the Tollans feet. In a moment of Moral courage many wouldn't attribute to what they perceived to be a callously indifferent people Orthan made his decision.

"You may not have our technology; we will never surrender to the will of tyrants and monsters." Orthan stated firmly.

Ba'al smirked knowingly before turning his back to the screen and returning to his throne. "If you wish to throw away the lives of your people then I will take them." The connection broke suddenly once again showing the monstrous flagship and its many escorts.

"I am sorry my friends." Orthan said with a painful heart, doing the right thing was rarely easy and he knew he had just signed their death warrants and that of their families by committing them to this action. "Can we break through the jamming to send a message back to Calphina to evacuate through the Stargate?"

"Possibly." the female technician spoke up "But it would require a lot more power than usual to break through the jamming and then there would be no guarantee they would receive it."

"I understand do it anyway." Orthan ordered acutely aware these would be their final moments.

"Goa'uld ships are powering weapons and locking on!" Another tech shouted almost on the verge of panic.

"I will not wait for them to fire first." Orthan began "All Ion Cannons fire at will."

All 8 of the stations Ion cannons found a target and fired bright blue/white spears of ion particles leapt out in rapid succession and slammed into the shields of the nearest Ha'taks. The shields rippled in golden energy as the Ha'taks bore the brunt of the Tollan assault like a battleship absorbing the fire from an anti-tank round causing only superficial damage. In response the Ha'taks returned fire, bright golden bolts of densely packed plasma slammed into the stations shields from all sides as the Ha'tak's probed its defenses testing for weaknesses. They needent have bothered the sheer weight of fire would collapse the shields within moments.

Gliders and Al'kesh now joined the assault taking advantage of the weakened shields to make strafing runs on the Habitation pods connected to the station. A few of the Al'kesh fell to Ion cannon strikes; the larger weapons having no trouble punching through the shields of the corvette sized ships.

In the control room people held on for dear life as the station heaved heavily from the immense pounding it was receiving from the Goa'uld fleet. Several consoles exploded sending their attending technicians lifelessly to the decks.

"Shields at 30!" The female technician screamed over the howl of ruptured life support conduits and exploding consoles. "Ion cannons 2, 3 and 6 are offline-." Another explosion rocked the station this time coming from within causing the station to tilt noticeably and the lights to flicker before stabilizing.

"What was that!?" Orthan practically shouted barely hearing himself over his heart pounding in his ears.

"Right habitation pod has been severed from the station and is falling towards the planet! There are at least 300 people in there!" Another unnamed technician reported in horror, holding his right hand over a wound on his face that was bleeding heavily.

"The station rocked again from more weapons strikes by the Goa'uld causing support beams to fall; several landing on the remaining technicians who were killed instantly. Orthan barely escaped this fate himself as he managed to duck out of the way of one such beam in the nick of time. The main lights of the station now failed shrouding Orthan in darkness until the backup generators kicked in providing only minimal lighting. For a brief eerie almost surreal moment everything went quite. Orthan took a moment to calm his beating heart as he rose slowly from the deck looking with wide eyes around the control room. He couldn't see a thing thick acrid smoke obscured his view of the whole control room, like a hazy fog which burnt his eyes and lungs making him coughed violently. He tried to clear the smoke from his face but that only brought him a moment's reprieve. Stumbling to the station in front of him Orthan gingerly removed the body of the young female technician; the girl couldn't be more than 20 years of age and had the beautiful angelic looks of a Shermock. Now those eyes stared lifelessly back at him almost accusingly. Grief threatened to overwhelm him as he gently closed her eyes and laid her body to rest on the deck. Then slowly he rose and looked at the sensor readouts on her station.

The Shields had collapsed, weapons were offline and life-support was gone, the Goa'uld fleet had ceased its bombardment but new sensor contacts on his board showed more ships inbound, that would be the Jaffa boarding party. Looking up from his board into the now lifeless control room Orthan knew he had to make sure the QSDD would not fall into the Goa'ulds hands or all the death this day would be for nothing. He tried to activate the PA system to warn what was left of the crew to prepare to be boarded but Orthan remembered it had been taken offline before the attack. Slowly as if in a daze he stumbled out of the control room.

"My Lord the Stations shields have collapsed." Ter'ak First prime of Ba'al reported to his God. Ter'ak a dark and intimidating sight was a large Jaffa warrior feared and respected by all for his prowess in Battle, He had been Ha'raks right hand man when Ha'rak had been first prime of Anubis and had carried out his missions with a skill and competence not usually noted in Jaffa. With the collapse of Anubis's empire Ba'al had been quick to absorb as much of Anubis' forces as he could; quickly recognizing in Ter'ak a formidable and competent warrior. He had made him his first prime on the spot and had not been disappointed in his choice.

"Board the Station, find what I require and all the information that pertains to it and make sure to take Nerus with you." Ba'al ordered.

Ter'ak turned to face his God and dropped to one knee, he lowered his gaze reverently while holding his staff. "It will be done my Lord, I will see to it personally." Ter'ak rose and strolled towards the exit calling to several Jaffa, "Jaffa Sie'ra Taklan, Kree!" The Jaffa posting guard at the exit with the Kull Warriors immediately fell in step with him as Ter'ek disappeared from sight.

Ba'al reclined in his throne as he studied the image of the heavily damaged station before him, noting fires from several breaches in the Hull. Yes he thought, soon I will have the resources I need to destroy my enemies, I shall start anew and build an empire that will be the envy of the Goa'uld and safe from the prying eyes of the Tau'ri. Soon now...very soon.

Orthan's face slammed into the deck, he winced in pain from the impact and rose to a knee rubbing his sore cheek, looking behind him he noted he'd tripped over the body of a young scientist. Taking only a moment to view the unfortunate soul Orthan picked himself up only to stumble again as the station rocked. This time it didn't feel like a secondary explosion but of something hitting the hull of the station. No doubt boarding craft, it would only be moments before they cut through, as one part of mind analyzed the situation another part kept screaming one thing.

Jaffa!

Feeling the cold grip of fear on his heart Orthan quickened his pace to his destination. He hurried in this fashion for several minutes not encountering another living soul in that whole time. Idly Orthan wondered if he was the only living Tollan left on the station.

The sound of weapons fire soon answered that question.

Reaching a branched corridor close to the main lab Orthan braved a glance down the adjacent hall and was rewarded by the sight of Jaffa Warriors in a fire fight with a group the Tollan security forces that guarded his lab. It was a one sided match and was over as quickly as it began, the Jaffa's Staff weapons far outgunned the hand stunners the security forces utilized and the Jaffa dispatched them with ease. Realizing he now had no hope of getting to his lab alive Orthan decided to take advantage of the brief fire fight as a distraction to moved unnoticed to a better vantage point behind some debris intent to eaves drop on the two Jaffa present.

Ter'ak Stood before the mangled body of a fallen Tollan security officer noticing the burnt flesh of where a strike from his staff weapon had flown true, looking away with a final grunt he had other matters to attend to, his God's Will. He was approached by his second Ma'ret.

"First Prime." He greeted his superior "We have secured the laboratory."

"Did you find what our Lord demands?" Ter'ak asked.

"Yes First Prime." Mar'et answered. "We have secured the device and Lord Nerus is downloading the information within the stations computers. It will only be a matter of moments now."

"Well done Mar'et. Let us go view our Lords prize." He said with a smile. He followed close behind Mar'et then stopped. Something didn't feel right, as if another presence was in the corridor with them. Raising his staff weapon which prompted Mar'et to do the same Ter'ak scanned everything with a well trainned eye. The corridor was ridden in smoke as thick as fog. The lighting in the corridor did nothing to cut through it only silhouetting debris and bodies on the floor. Knowing he couldn't trust his eyes he strained his ears to hear anything of note. Buy all accounts the corridor was devoid of all like exempting himself Mar'et and another young Jaffa yet he could feel it, something... _there_. Looking around the branched corridor once more Ter'ak relaxed slightly, whoever it was wouldn't pose a threat for long. Glancing at the Jaffa warrior standing guard Ter'ak nodded in a direction sending the young warrior moving.

And the two Jaffa entered the Lave leaving behind one very distraught Tollan scientist.

It had all been for nothing! Orthan raged. The futile resistance that killed the people he was responsible for, none of it mattered now as the enormity of his failure crested over him like a wave. Despite his best efforts the Jaffa had managed to secure the QSDD before he could destroy it. Yet before he could continue to berate himself for his failure another chill ran through him making him almost sick as his mind slowly pieced together this latest info. How did the Goa'uld know of Calphina's location? How did they know Tollana was developing the QSDD? How did they know it was being researched here? That it was operational? More importantly how did they seem to know the schematics of the station itself? The communications failures might..._might _have been a malfunction but he had no answer for the database lockout accept one. Again he came back to his suspicion of a traitor, one he couldn't dismiss any longer. That also meant the Goa'uld wouldn't leave any survivors despite their claims, once they secured their prize aboard the flagship Ba'al would kill every last soul to leave no witnesses. The Curia would be none the wiser convinced the Goa'uld stumbled onto the Colony world via their own devices and destroyed it, completely unaware of a traitor within their midst.

Orthan knew beyond doubt that he had to get this information back to Tollana, but how? The Goa'uld were almost certainly still jamming the station and the planet below... he realized he had to send a message through the Stargate but as quickly as he formulated his plan of action a new sound snapped into his concentration one that froze him in fright.

The sound of a staff weapon charging.

"JOTAK KREE!!!"

Orthan understood instantly what the Jaffa behind him wanted. Slowly Orthan raised his hands in surrender from his kneeling position as his eyes rested on a fallen stunner. Orthan wasn't foolish enough to believe he could reach the stunner turn and fire before the Jaffa struck him down, nor was he brave enough to try. He was scientist not a warrior and he knew there was no way out of this situation that didn't involve his death. Just then the station rocked violently from an internal explosion throwing the Jaffa and Orthan to the deck. As luck or fate would have it Orthan landed on the fallen stunner as the Jaffa's bulky armor worked against him causing him to lose his balance as well as a hold on his staff weapon, he fell to the deck just as his prisoner had.

As if Orthan were watching his body in a dream he grabbed the fallen stunner and rose to one knee. The Jaffa warrior was quick to recover as well and reached for his staff weapon. Orthan saw all of this in perfect detail each moment seemed to stretch into the next. He was perfectly aware of the Jaffa leveling his Staff weapon on his face, perfectly aware of the beads of sweat on his own forehead and perfectly aware of the fact he leveled the stunner and squeezed the trigger grip. The triangular device fired sending a brief purple beam strait into the forehead of the Jaffa Warrior who dropped to the deck. At this close range the stunner's effects were quite lethal.

Orthan barely had time to register the fact he had just taken a life before he was up and moving with incredible speed; the adrenalin pumping through his system boosting him like never before. He moved cautiously to the ships main transporter hub hoping it still worked.

Ter'ak entered the main lab that housed QSDD with his staff weapon at the ready, even though his Jaffa had cleared the room of potential threats one could never be too careful. The lab itself was a large circular room with banks of monitors and analytical equipment that lined the circular walls and 2 branched corridors on either side of the room which no doubt had more equipment in them. As Ter'ak looked closer he could see several Jaffa loading anything that appeared to have value in cases for transport back to Nerus's lab on the Flagship. At the center of the room was a large circular table which held a transparent case no doubt containing the reason they were here and which was currently being lorded over by a rather large disgusting form of a man.

Suppressing a sneer Ter'ak could barely contain his disgust for the fat and annoying _God_ whose eyes bore into the device as if it were his next meal.

Nerus.

A God who didn't just revel in gluttony and avarice He lived it. His growing appetite was matched only by his growing waist line. He was all things the Jaffa detested, yet despite this his Lord Ba'al found him useful and that was enough for Ter'ak.

"Ahh Ter'ak!" Nerus said joyfully finally noticing him. "Isn't this positively wonderful!?" Nerus gloated over the QSDD.

"Perhaps." Ter'ak deadpanned. "But it is a great victory for our lord Ba'al."

"Jaffa." Nerus sighed rolling his eyes. "Only concerned with victory. No sense of wonder."

"I have no time for...distractions." Ter'ak began tersely. "Not when it means accomplishing what our Lord demands." Ter'aks powerful frame slowly moved from one end of the circular table to the other coming within a few feet of where Nerus stood. Nerus for his part attempted to put on a brave front and failed miserably.

"Not I or you for that matter _Lord_ Nerus." Ter'ak said his voice dripping with contempt for the _God_ before him.

Nerus took the hint. "I ahh..I shall endeavor to hurry for our great lord Ba'al." Nerus stammered. "As it is I am almost finished. Just a few more moments"

Ter'ak bowed his head slightly and turned to the waiting form of his second who had just entered the lab.

"Report."

"First Prime. We have quelled all resistance." Ma'ret reported.

"Have you found our agent yet?"

Mar'et stiffened slightly. "Not as yet First Prime."

"It does not matter." Ter'ak waved dismissively "the fate of the agent is of no concern."

Another Jaffa entered from one of the adjacent rooms "First Prime we have finished securing all objects of value." The Jaffa reported.

"I am finished too." Nerus waved a data crystal. "Please make sure that is secure." Nerus motioned towards the QSDD still in its protective case, "We wouldn't want to have come all this way for nothing now would we?" Nerus beamed his voice grating on the nerves of the Jaffa in the room.

Mar'et looked to Ter'ak who nodded slightly. Mar'et motioned several Jaffa from the hall into the room. They soon secured the QSDD in a cargo container and nodded to Ter'ak when they were finished.

Ter'ak produced a Goa'uld communications device, the small orb fitting into the palm of his hand. A moment later the image of his lord Ba'al appeared.

"Ter'ak." Ba'al acknowledged 'What have you to report?"

"Ter'ak bowed his head reverently before speaking "My lord the Quantum drive you desire has been secured as well as all the information pertaining to the device."

"Excellent, you have done well Ter'ak." Ba'al praised with a slight nod. "Now return to the flagship it is time we finished our business here."

"Yes my lord." The image of Ba'als smug features vanished from the orb. Ter'ak returned it to its place and motioned for his second.

"Mer'at, summon the Jaffa we are to depart immediately."

"Yes First Prime. I have a squad waiting outside to escort us back to the breaching pods. In addition I have Jaffa posted along our route to cover our withdraw."

"Very good." Ter'ak said appreciating his second's initiative, something that was lacking in many Jaffa. "Order the rest to return to the pods."

"At once First Prime." Mar'et acknowledged. He moved towards the exit speaking curtly into his wrist mounted communicator.

"Shall we leave _Lord_ Nerus?"

"Why yes of course!" Nerus laughed "After you." he motioned towards the Jaffa Warrior. "After all we wouldn't want a God harmed on this littler excursion now would we? It would seem to add a blemish to an otherwise flawless campaign. Wouldn't you agree?"

Ter'ak kept his thoughts to himself as he took the lead followed by 2 Jaffa carrying the QSSD who were in turn followed by Nerus. The group was flanked by a squad of 4 Jaffa warriors while an addition 2 warriors covered the rear. The group made its way towards the escape pods and victory.

Orthan arrived at the main transporter hub to find it virtually unguarded and what appeared to be an open panel beside the station. He thanked whatever fates he could but soon realized how fickle fate could be when he saw the transporter was offline. Fighting off a sense of hopelessness Orthan began the painstaking work of getting the transporter back online when he suddenly heard movement behind him. Realizing he'd been caught yet again Orthan raised his hands in surrender...again.

"Director Orthan?"

Orthan slowly turned to come face to face with his assistant Talia pointing a stunner at him. She was a striking women in her early 30s with blond hair and piercing green eyes who's beauty was only matched by her intelligence. Now as Orthan studied her more closely he could see she had soot covering her face and blood matted her hair. He could see relief etched in her face when she recognized him but at the same time her eyes held a terrified almost wild look to them. It gave Orthan pause because he had never seen his normally calm and collected assistant this way idly he wondered how he looked to her.

"Director Orthan." she recognized lowering the stunner. "I thought you were dead." her small form seemed to shrink as relief flooded her.

"As I did you." Orthan said overjoyed that she had survived. 'But we must work quickly."

"What is happening here?" she asked in a shaky voice.

"We have been attacked by the Goa'uld." Orthan informed her "They managed to secure the QSDD."

"By the Shermock!" she whispered in a hollow voice.

"Where have you been?" Orthan asked.

"In my quarters." She answered immediately, "You gave me the rest of the day off after the successful test this morning."

"I did?" He asked.

"Yes Sir. I was in the Lab when you told me to take the rest of the day off, I was only in my room an hour before the attack happened. I barely made it to the central core before the habitation pod was severed." She answered with a far away look in her eyes as if she were reliving that moment.

"We have no time for that now." Orthan said sternly to focus her attention back to the present. "Have you encountered any other survivors?"

"She shook her head."Not a soul." she answered weakly "Director they killed everyone and they will kill us too!"

"Stay focused Talia." Orthan snapped "We are not dead yet. Look at...LOOK at me Talia." She did though it felt as if she was staring past him. "I need your help. We have to get back to Tollana and warn the Curia of what happened here. I can not do that without your help. Will you help me?" he asked hoping his words would snap her out of it.

Yes." Talia said nodding enthusiastically. She seemed to collect herself somewhat before answering again "Yes Director...of course."

"Good Talia." He motioned to the open panel "I need you to help me get the transporter online, then we can transport to safety." Talia nodded in the affirmative and the two scientists went to work.

It seemed to take forever. In that time Orthan was sure they would be discovered but to his pleasant surprise they weren't. Just as they finished the repairs to the transporter system Orthan felt a series of jolts to the station followed by Talia's startled yelps. He quickly realized it was the breaching pods detaching which meant the Jaffa had finished their business and now had no use for the station, their time was running out.

"Where are we going?" Talia asked.

"Ground station 2." Orthan said absently forcing himself despite his rising panic to slowly input the coordinates so he wouldn't make a mistake.

"The Stargate?" Talia asked.

"Yes." Orthan nodded as he finished inputting the coordinates for ground station 2. Orthan set for a small delay then grabbed Talia's arm bringing her on to the transporter pad. In a flash of orange light not unlike the rings the system was based off of the two were gone.

The Jaffa had abandoned the station and returned to their ships, with their mission accomplished several Ha'taks closed the distance to the battered station and let loose a volley of high energy plasma destroying the station in a mass of light and fire. The Ha'taks of Ba'als fleet now reoriented their positions in orbit placing them over the settlement. On a word for their God the Jaffa aboard those ships opened fire on the colony thinking nothing of the people below.

Orthan and Talia materialized in ground station 2 to find it in utter chaos. The background of a beautiful spring day filtering through the large transparent dome of the room did nothing to lighten the sense of doom in the air. Moving off of the transmat pad Orthan practically dragged Talia with him, who in turn offered no resistance. He moved towards a young security officer. "What is happening?"

"Director!?" The security officer recognized in shock. "We thought you were dead!"

"We will all be dead soon if we do not get out of here, now tell me what is happening?"

"We received your message when the Goa'uld fleet arrived and began evacuation of the settlement, this is the first wave but its only a hundred people!" the technician answered.

"Only a hundred..." Talia echoed quietly next to him.

Just then the first bolts of densely packed orange plasma rained down from the sky striking the main settlement. The small group fell to the ground as did many of the evacuees from the sheer concussive force. Many of the evacuee's let loose panicked screams as they witnessed and felt the brutality of the attack. Orthan was barely able to move to his feet dragging Talia to her feet as more high energy bolts impacted on the settlement. Moving quickly to the adjacent room that housed the Stargate Orthan ran to the Dialing device and began punching in the coordinates for Tollana. He was rewarded by the whoosh of the Stargate as the unstable vortex cascaded on itself and stabilized into a blue ripple of quantum partials of an event horizon. Wasting no time Orthan marched towards the event horizon and practically pushed Talia through. Orthan then stumbled back to the main lobby shouting for the evacuees to follow him, upon reaching the gate room the evacuees darted towards the gate and the promise of safety.

Orthan ran back to the main domed structure of the lobby to supervise the evacuation of the survivors. He looked out the lobby window down towards the settlement now nothing more than burning rubble. Orthan noted wearily that no more evacuees could be seem making their way to ground station 2.

Feeling older than he felt in years Orthan turned away only to come face to face with the same security officer he'd met earlier. "Sir the first group of Evacuee's have safely transited through the Stargate back to Tollana." He paused as he took in the devastation of the settlement "Where...wha..." He paused to take in a deep breath. "Where are the rest?"

Orthan looked back at the settlement now burning fiercely, for the time being the Goa'uld had ceased their bombardment but he knew they had probably detected the Stargate activity and were even now targeting the station.

"There are no others...not any more."

"But...there were over 7,000 people here!" The security officer protested.

"Not any more." Orthan said grimly accepting reality and once again feeling the weight of loss upon him. "Come on, we have to get out of here. There's nothing left for us here." Orthan grabbed the security officer and led him back to the gateroom; he numbly complied before they reached the gateroom and a technician who was holding the gate open for them. Orthan nodded to the young man who took a hold of his friend and both departed through the gate. Orthan turned for one final look at the Colony of Calphina tears of both loss and rage soaked his face. They would pay for this! He promised, one way or another he would make the Goa'uld pay for this senseless slaughter. Turning back to the gate Orthan walked through the gate only moments before it was struck.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2 last chances

Goa'uld Command Ship Divine Right

For Ba'al things were beginning to look more pleasant, enough to bring a wide cat like grin to his slender face. He noted absently he had been grinning for the last hour, but with the trials he had endured lately he considered himself deserving of some jovial relief, especially at the expense of his enemies.

The mission had been a staggering success with the bare minimum of losses and the maximum of gains. His source among the sorely misguided Tollan had proven entirely accurate and well worth the patience. He had to admit that the Tollan did have an enviable grasp on science which often eclipsed Goa'uld knowledge, especially as Anubis was now gone leaving the Goa'uld without any new wonder weapons.

Of course Ba'al had been happy to scavenge what he could from Anubis' misfortune, raking over his territory and assuming leadership of the disorganized forces left behind by the great System Lord. Overnight Ba'al had becoming a truly major power and rival to any other system lord, even Lord Yu who had commanded the forces arrayed against Anubis.

For a while it looked like Yu and Ba'al would go to war in a conflict to decide who would be Supreme System Lord and inherit Ra's crown and glory. But that goal was torpedoed by the death of Yu the Replicator attack and his defeat at Dakara. A massive rebellion had broken out, and much to Ba'als surprise a significant number turned Sho'vah and inflicted a staggering defeat at the vital world of Dakara, effectively creating a Free Jaffa state which was still at war with the Goa'uld.

So Ba'al and the remaining system lords set aside their differences to fight the Jaffa, and in the process try to acquire an advantage or two in battle. Something Ba'al had just done. He was a firm believer in technology over numbers, well proven by his fearsome Kull warriors and uprated warships.

This new Tollan technology held the promise of a conclusive victory not just over the Free Jaffa but also the last few system lords, and those meddlesome Tau'ri, and just maybe the Asgard too. Most system lords wouldn't have cared or would have made it a trinket or curiosity but Ba'al was a man of vision, and that vision was total domination.

Ter'ak stood to attention as Ba'al arrived by the room deep in the warship where the device was being held.

"Anything to report Prime?"

"No my lord, all is as you commanded."

"Very good, you may leave and finish selecting your champion warriors for our new quest."

"So shall it be my lord." Ter'ak bowed and then confidently departed the scene leaving Ba'al by the door. Still grinning the Goa'uld entered his code and let the heavy doors part.

The grin faded when his obscenely expensive Unas leather boots crunched into a half eaten chicken on the floor just within the doorway.

"Nerus!" he bellowed. "For your sake I hope you are not covering the device I have killed for in grease!"

From somewhere in the room filled with tables full of technology, some from Anubis, others from the Tollan and some even from the Tau'ri a jowly head shot up.

"No no my good lord, I haven't touched it, really!"

Ba'al shook the food off his boots and proceeded into the room, Nerus rushing to meet him.

"Where is Persephone?" Ba'al demanded.

"Oh, she is examining the device, her hands are clean." The opulent Goa'uld scientist smiled, strings of food stuck to his teeth.

"Do you ever stop eating you repulsive little man?"

"Eat, drink and be merry." Nerus kept grinning.

"You would do well to recall the rest of that phrase." Ba'al said coldly, then brushed past the lesser Goa'uld.

A few paces further on he found the device, typically Tollan in appearance with a bright metallic sheen and smooth over all shell. It was fairly small but held a promise far beyond its humble look.

"Persephone, is it ready?"

The second of Ba'al's scientists, and the most preferable, stood by the device. She was quite a figure and pleasing to Ba'als eye, and her knowledge coupled with that made her a true prize to jealously guard.

"It appears functional and works on a method similar to a Stargate." She reported matter of factly. "We can hook it to the hyperdrive and establish a wormhole to your chosen destination."

"Very good." He smiled. "If this works you will be richly rewarded." He moved close to the blonde female. "My patronage can be, most generous."

Persephone stepped back. "It will work my lord, but I would suggest more time to test it."

Ba'al smiled widely under his beard. "We have plenty of time yet. You have my coordinates, test the device, send a probe, whatever you see fit."

"It is a remarkable break through my lord."

"Only if used correctly." Ba'al responded. "The Tollan would have wasted it on science, now I will give it true meaning."

Nerus bobbed beside him. "Where is it we are going my lord?"

"That is not your concern. Getting us there and back should solely occupy your thoughts." He paused. "That and dinner no doubt."

"As you will my lord."

"Yes, I do will it. I advise you not to disappoint me, when I become upset I begin cutting things off, things that do not grow back."

Nerus laughed nervously. "Of course my lord, of course!"

With a condescending sneer Ba'al turned his back and left, sealing the door behind him.

He was halfway to his quarters when the steady ping of an alarm sounded. Immediately he found a communication port and raised the command deck.

"Ter'ak? What is happening?"

"My lord, the Sho'vah are here."

He grunted in annoyance, the Free Jaffa could ruin everything. "How many?"

"So far sixty six vessels of Ha'tak class."

Which outnumbered Ba'al greatly.

"Prepare for battle, I am on my way."

With a flutter of his lengthy coat he spun on his heel and walked briskly through the corridors, loyal Jaffa and Kull soldiers passing him by on their way to their assigned locations. His fleet had great power, but numbers were on his enemies side and with such an advantage they could earn victory.

He took his chair in the Pel'tac, Ter'ak standing proudly by the ship controls.

"Let me address them." Ba'al ordered.

With a nod Ter'ak opened a channel.

"Ships of the Free Jaffa Nation, welcome to my home."

For a while there was silence, then a face appeared on his screen.

"Your hospitality is not required."

Ba'al laughed as he recognized the man. "Why Master Bra'tac, not dead yet?"

"How can I sleep easy in my grave with scum like you still drawing breath?"

"Charming as always."

"I give you this chance to surrender, to spare the lives of the warriors under your banner."

"It is you who will spill the blood of your brother Jaffa." Ba'al said. "Unless you join me of course, return to your roots. I can give you anything you wish."

Bra'tac's eyes glinted with a coldness even Ba'al felt.

"I wish from you one thing, your head on a silver plate still sharing a look of total terror as you fall to your former slaves."

"Would you settle for gold instead? A wife maybe?"

The Jaffa Master ended the message.

"He should learn to cheer up." Ba'al sighed. "Status?"

"Sho'vah ships on approach, arming weapons."

"Did we recover our warriors from the planet?"

"Yes my lord."

"And the Kull warrior facilities?"

"Packed into the hold of this ship my lord."

"Excellent work Prime, you honor me."

"To live is to serve."

"Then serve me now, fire on the traitors."

Ba'als flagship opened the battle with a terrific long range volley, its heavy weapons overpowering the lead Ha'tak in a few seconds shredding the rebel ship with cannon fire. Moments later the rest of Ba'als fleet joined with superior ranged weaponry. However the advantage would be short lived as the Free Jaffa accelerated quickly into range.

"Ter'ak, what is left for us to load onto the expedition ships?"

"Ten thousand slaves, food stores for a further six months, some additional spare parts and the last three Death glider squadrons."

Which meant the fleet he was going to take through the portal to the new universe was in fact ninety percent loaded anyway.

"Persephone." Ba'al opened a channel.

"My lord?" she answered after a moment.

"Hook the device to the main power grid."

"But the tests…"

"Are irrelevant, we are leaving. Now."

He actually thought she might argue, but wisely did not.

"Yes Lord Ba'al."

The line shut down leaving Ba'al with a plan.

"The expedition ships will withdraw and gather by the flagship."

"Yes my lord."

"All other vessels will attack."

"As you will."

Ter'ak sent the orders, dispatching the regular ships of the fleet into battle with a foe more than three times their size, their deaths were certain. Yet his god had commanded it, and so it would be. Their sacrifice would buy time, and time would let his master secure a final victory. The sacrifice was not in vain.

The lights and gravity dimmed slightly across the ship, prompting Ter'ak to check his systems.

"Temporary power loss my lord, it seems to be restored now."

"Persephone, can I assume that was the device?" Ba'al asked.

"Yes my lord, we are ready."

"Then activate it."

A sudden blue spark or energy burned in space behind Ba'als ship, flickering and glowing for a moment before bursting into a blue and white vortex like a type of fixed hyperspace window. It roiled and burned with energy like a pale hurricane staring balefully at Ba'al.

"Order the fleet through. One at a time."

He watched intently as the first Ha'tak headed to the rift, waiting to see what happened. The vessel moved closer, tendrils of energy snaking past it as it crossed the horizon and vanished.

"Ter'ak?"

"No explosion my lord, all systems seemed stable."

"Persephone?"

"The device is within parameters."

Ba'al chuckled. "Good, send through the other ships, faster."

Ship after ship crossed the horizon as Ba'als other forces expended themselves before Bra'tacs guns. The burning wrecks lighting a path to Ba'al's staging world. The Free Jaffa were progressing but too slowly to catch the System Lord. With the fleet gone Ba'al's Command ship was the last to leave, the blue tear folding closed behind it.

"What was that?" The second asked.

"I do not know." Bra'tac frowned. "Did the sensors record it?"

"Yes Master."

"Then I believe we should take this information to our friends in the Tau'ri, such knowledge will be valuable to them."

"Many on the council will not wish to share."

"Many on the council can kiss my ass." Bra'tac chuckled. "As the Tau'ri General O'Neill would say."

"They are an odd people."

"But noble warriors, and lateral thinkers who may unravel this puzzle. But first we must take this world and liberate those who yearn for freedom. Prepare ground forces, freedom will not be denied."

Tollana

A few hours later

There had been a time when Orthan had taken his home for granted, had barely noticed the glass buildings and pale fabricated stone of his city. It had been little more than a back ground to his life, a scene setting that he passed by and walked around far too busy to take notice of.

Since his escape from Calphina he had done nothing but look at the sky, the trees, the nearby belt of forest and meadows, and the architecture itself. He observed the clouds gradually breezing overhead, savored the cold tingle of the autumn rain that stopped and started every so often and breathed deep the crisp clean air of Tollana.

He had come so close to losing it all, to never having the chance to just stop and enjoy the world his race had provided for their civilization. It was an oversight that he was happy to correct.

"Director Orthan?" a young voice drew his gaze.

"Yes?"

"The Curia is ready for you, if you would follow me?"

Orthan nodded and eased up and away from the bench, taking a long inhalation of the moisture heavy air with a deep sense of humility.

"Lets go then shall we?"

He followed the young government representative as the sky grew overcast and blue grey above them.

Even thought he Curia was a benevolent body and one of the most pacifistic and even tempered leaderships in the galaxy they still had the gift of making Orthan feel two feet tall. Their expressions were fairly genial and not in the least accusing but the scientist could already sense he was being measured and judge to determine his worth.

It was he guessed a sign of authority. Whoever the people were and whatever their personalities the body of the Curia itself was an auspicious and renowned institution with tremendous power and influence. Those who wielded that power were considered the wisest and most even tempered of the Tollan, a group who were already tremendously wise and cool minded.

Orthan stood in the austere chamber facing the members of the austere body and waited.

"First I would like to say how pleased we are you survived." Travell announced from the central position on the Curia. "Your achievements are justly renowned and have advanced the quality of Tollan science."

"Thank you." Orthan bowed his head.

As leader of the Curia Travell was the coolest and most calculated member of the government, her silvering hair and slightly gaunt face betraying her advancing years. Yet beneath that resided a sharp mind, a critical and clinical collection of thoughts constantly weighing up paths for her race to take that would be to Tollana's advantage.

In that respect she was a politically as any other human government leader, but her icy wisdom and dedication to the Tollan way of life did tend to raise her above most.

Her record however was far from spotless, and while the full details of her life were not commonly known she had found herself in a very difficult position when faced with the Goa'uld Tanith, disciple of Anubis.

She had come close to dooming the Tau'ri in order to save her race, a decision she reviled but could not adequately go against without outside help. By sheer chance Earths SG-1 had been on Tollana at the same time as Tanith was preparing his final move and had managed to thwart him.

The price for Tollana had been high, while Tanith's fleet was destroyed by concentrated fire they had resisted the by now obsolete Ion cannons long enough to cause great damage to several major cities. While Anubis was clearly to blame there were those who pointed the finger at SG-1 and that had cooled relations with Earth, which if anything should have been very friendly after the Tau'ri teams help.

Travell still held her place on the Curia despite the disaster though her influence had waned somewhat and she often found herself locked in debates with fellow members, especially Narim. Tanith's attack had turned the already isolationist Tollan even more in on themselves to the point where they had virtually vanished from galactic politics.

It was a situation that suited Travell just fine but the recent events looked set to shatter their icy confines.

"We have taken the time to read your report thoroughly; do you have anything to add?"

"Nothing, that is the full account."

Travell nodded. "Then you will not mind answering a few questions?"

"Not at all Chancellor."

"I'll start with the obvious one," Narim began. Of all the Curia members he was the one who seemed least composed due mainly to his fairly recent appointment and a lack of long term political training. He also recognized exactly how dire this situation could become. "How did they know?"

"That I do not know." Orthan said. "Our colony, our research, our goal, all were completely secret. Unknown to most even here on Tollana."

"Everything was done quietly." Narim stated. "The funding, raw materials, personnel transfers and communications. All of it was buried, hidden and explained away. Nothing could be traced."

"Evidently we missed something." Travell remarked.

"I suggest we have a leak." Orthan countered. "Not a flaw in our processes but a person, someone feeding information to the Goa'uld."

"Impossible!" Narim responded passionately. "Who of our people would willingly betray us? Especially after they murdered tens of thousands."

"Perhaps more than one?" Jolla another member of the Curia wondered.

"No, just one I'd guess." Orthan deduced. "Too few knew about this, and any spy ring or group would be easy to detect. It is one person on the inside."

"The list of suspects is few enough." Travell reasoned. "We will immediately investigate; this security breach is completely intolerable."

"Further I want to send a mission back to Calphina." Narim announced. "To comb over the wreckage for clues."

"It is still too dangerous." Orthan said. "Ba'al is still there."

"Actually this no longer appears to be the case." Travell said. "Ba'al has made alternate plans."

Orthan blinked. "How do you know this?"

"We still have some friends in the galaxy." Travell smiled. "Narim, play the message."

The chamber darkened a little as a holographic image of a blonde female shimmered into life, almost believable enough to touch.

"Narim, you do not know me but I have heard much about you." The apparition said. "Through our mutual friends, the Tau'ri."

Orthan glanced at the Curia who remained impassive.

"Do not reply to this message, I am risking much by sending it but the situation is dire. I am Anise of the Tok'ra and at this moment I am onboard Ba'al's warship."

Orthan's mouth opened in shock.

"I have just examined a piece of technology taken by Ba'al from your people, a device I am told allows travel beyond the dimensional barrier. I gather by now you know it is missing, we are returning to Ba'als staging world where he intends to test the device."

The image froze as Travell paused it.

"We later learned that Ba'al activated the device when attacked by Free Jaffa forces under Bra'tac. Where he has gone we do not know for sure, however the message continues."

Anise began speaking again.

"I have the coordinates for the destination he will travel to, I am sending them now. If you cannot recover it in time you must inform the Tau'ri. Narim, you know as well as I do they have a cunning and ingenuity that has been demonstrated time and again. They are the only ones who can recover this device wherever it goes. In the past they have crossed dimensions, interacted with other universes. They have experience we do not have, you must tell them. I will tell you more when I can."

The image disappeared.

"She was probably still on the ship when it fled Bra'tac." Narim reported. "There have been no further messages and the Free Jaffa have found no Tok'ra operatives when they liberated the planet."

"Which now poses the question, what do we do next?" Travell asked.

"We should make the Tau'ri aware and ask for help." Narim said.

"Futile." Another member dismissed. "They will not help us."

"With the possible consequences? Of course they will."

"You over estimate them Narim, not all Tau'ri are like Major Carter."

"And how would you know Jolla? You've never met one!"

"Order gentlemen." Travell said calmly. "I can see this requires more debate. We will inform the Tau'ri, Narim, I trust you are willing to go?"

"Of course."

"As to whether we ask for help, that is a topic for later. The session is closed, tomorrows agenda will discuss possible Tau'ri aid. Until then we will attempt to recover the device ourselves. That is all."

The Curia rose and began to leave allowing Orthan to also depart. He was in some turmoil, a mix of pride that his device had worked so well and horror at the possible future he had unleashed.

"Director Orthan?"

He recognized the same young man who had fetched him earlier.

"If you would go to this location, my superior wishes to talk."

"Who is that?"

"Be there and find out."

The rain was pouring down heavily darkening the pale buildings with running water. It had the effect of emptying most of the city as people sought shelter from the unexpected down pour. Even Tollan meteorologists could sometimes be surprised. Orthan arrived at the meeting place, a covered walkway by the river that was totally deserted.

Almost totally deserted.

"Director Orthan, I am glad you agreed to this."

The figure was swathed in black cloaks, but the scientists recognized the voice at once. "Chancellor Travell?"

"Walk with me." The leader said quietly. "The Curia will debate for days possibly even weeks on how best to handle this, by which point Ba'al will have too great a head start."

"Perhaps, but we need to decide what happens."

"I already have." Travell informed. "This is a crisis and demands swift and decisive action. I have taken that decision myself."

Orthan frowned. "What about the Curia?"

"Eventually they will agree with me, but we don't have the time. We will ask the Tau'ri for help."

"The Tau'ri hate us, we almost let their world be attacked and then covered up their role in helping us."

Travell nodded. "They have a right to be hurt by our actions, but Anise is right, they know what they are doing in these difficult situations. We are not a violent people; we don't have the mentality to fight well. They do."

"You think it'll be down to a fight?"

Travell glanced at him. "I doubt Ba'al will return the device he killed thousands of our people for just because we ask nicely."

"Likewise I doubt the Tau'ri will risk lives for us just because we ask politely."

"True, but this device in Ba'als hands threatens them as well as us."

"They will tell us to clean up our own mess and wash their hands of us."

"Which is why we make them an offer." Travell said. "Cold Fusion systems and if required, brand new ion cannons."

Orthan stopped dead in his tracks. "Ion Cannons!"

"If that is their price." Travell stopped beside him. "Do you realize the depth of our mistake? The full consequences this mistake will have for billions of lives?"

"But it is our greatest law! No technology to lesser races!"

"I am aware of that." Travell sighed. "And that is why the Curia will take so long to realize what must be done. But the simple fact is we have followed this law to deny responsibility for future mistakes. Well now we have made our biggest mistake and we must act, however we can."

"You can not give the Tau'ri such weapons!"

"The Tau'ri already have weapons of this power." She said. "Read the reports, they have commissioned a hyperspace warship with Asgard shields. They have also begun work on Naquada bombs, our Ion cannons are toys compared to what they could achieve with such devices."

"But that is nothing to do with us."

"The drive is." Our first mistake killed two worlds, by letting Ba'al have this device we could have allowed him to kill hundreds, even thousands of worlds. I will not let that happen."

Orthan exhaled. "Can they help us?"

"The Tau'ri? Well they are our best chance. I want you to go with Narim, make this offer."

"Me?" Orthan gasped. "Why me?"

"Because if they accept you will rig the second prototype drive to their starship _Prometheus_ and join them in retrieving Ba'als stolen goods."

"I'm not a soldier Travell."

"No, but if something goes wrong you are the only one who knows enough about the drive to fix it out there." She paused "And while we will give Ion cannons to Earth I don't want them to keep the drive. I trust them more than Ba'al, but even so."

"I understand."

"Narim knows nothing of this. Do not tell him until later, he probably would not approve of such political machinations and would rally support to stop it before we could propose it. However they are vital to the survival of several worlds."

"I do not like this." Orthan grimaced.

"I understand, but each of us has sins to atone for. I am responsible for the damage to our relations with the Tau'ri and the reason it is so hard for us to ask them for help. There is no simple solution, but this is preferable to what happens if we do not ask for help."

"I should go then." Orthan nodded.

"You have Ba'als location. Go and stop him. Bring both devices back if you can, but if not you will destroy them. Remember the price we all pay if something goes wrong. We can't send anyone else to support you."

"I understand."

Travell bowed. "Good luck, everything rests on this deal."

It was not what Orthan wanted to hear.


	3. Chapter 3 Rekindling Old Flames

**Chapter 3 Rekindling Old Flames**

**Stargate Command **

"Unscheduled off world activation!" The voice of master sergeant Walter Harriman blared through the intercom system of Stargate Command. His voice was soon followed by the blaring of alarm klaxons as heavily armed security forces stormed into the gate room; charged their weapons and waited as the blast doors closed behind them.

With a whoosh and billow of motion the Stargate snapped to life as the unstable vortex exploded outward then collapsed in on itself. Soon after the sound of metal rings grating against themselves filled the gate room as the Iris closed.

"What have we got chief?" Major General Hank Landry said the moment he entered Stargate operations. He was still dressed in his usual dress blue uniform in addition to sporting his leather jacket. He like most of the alpha shift were just about to head home for the night.

"Unscheduled activation sir. We still have SG-3 and SG-7 on Dakara but neither is due to check in until 1700 tomorrow sir." Just then information scrolled across Walter's screen indicating they were receiving an Iris code which the computer recognized as an older code but still valid; even so protocols established during the 10 years of Stargate Command dictated caution and the computer sent an automatic signal telling the other side to hold. While this was happening Walter checked the code confirming its authenticity as one of the special issue codes the SGC gave to friendly off world allies. Walter checked then rechecked the code before finally verifying its authenticity.

"We're receiving an iris code; special code 3 sir. Its an older code but still valid, a hold signal has been automatically sent." Walter said looking up to the general looming over him.

"Special code 3." Landry considered for a moment. "The Tollan?"

"Yes sir." It was at that moment that SG-1 made its appearance stepping up behind the general.

"What do we have sir?" Mitchell asked cheerfully for the group as Carter took her usual seat next to Harriman while Daniel and Teal'c held back.

"The Tollan." The General replied.

"The Tollan." Mitchell repeated thoughtfully.

"You remember this one?" Daniel asked.

"I got this one." Mitchell confirmed. "Yeah...the Tollan." Mitchell repeated trying to recall the mission reports he'd read concerning them.

"Want some help Cam?" Carter smirked.

"No, I got it." Mitchell insisted. " The Tollan, as in technologically advanced humans with super cool space guns capable of killing Goa'uld motherships in a single shot Tollan?"

"Their first generation Ion cannons were capable of penetrating the shields of a Mothership in a single shot." Cater confirmed diverting her eyes to the screen infront of her. "But when Anubis upgraded the shields of his Motherships with Ancient technology the Ion cannons lost a great deal of their potency."

"So the guns are pretty much worthless then." Mitchell stated.

"Not exactly." Carter answered. "Shortly after we helped repel the attack by Tanith the Tollan built an even better Ion cannon, their mark 2 variant in addition to deploying their new phase shifting weapons. The newer Ion cannons are a radical departure from their first generation counterparts. With the upgrades Anubis made to Goa'uld shields the Ion cannons were no longer capable of phasing through them, making the weapons practically useless without concentrated fire."

"So what happened?" Mitchell asked.

"The Tollan went back to the drawing board. Instead of relying on their phasing technology they took a page out of our book. Raw firepower; why phase through the shields when you can just punch right through them."

"Cool." Mitchell replied. "But if I remember correctly there was a falling out wasn't there?"

"Yeah." Daniel interjected with a slight grimace. "Shortly after notifying us of the development of the Mark 2 cannons the State department sent one of their top Ambassadors Joseph Faxon to negotiate. It was hoped that we had attained some good will for saving the Tollan for the second time but it didn't quite turn out that way."

"What happened?" Mitchell inquired.

"Chancellor Travell and the Curia happened." Daniel answered.

"The chick that entered into the deal with the Goa'uld in the first place?"

"The very one." Daniel confirmed for the Colonel. "Still; wonder why they decided to pay us a visit, it's not like we parted on the best of terms." Daniel noted.

"Indeed." Teal'c responded flatly. "It would appear the Tollan want something from us."

"But what?" Cater asked.

"I am unsure but we will no doubt find out when they arrive."

"Sir?" Harriman spoke up directing a questioning gaze toward the general.

"Open the iris." Landry stated with a sigh. "Let's see what they want."

As the iris retracted a signal was sent through the Stargate which notified the other end it was safe to transit. Soon after 2 figures stepped through the gate; one of them easily recognizable to the veterans of SG-1.

"Narim." Cater said with a smile. She rose from her seat and followed the rest of SG-1 and the general out the door. The heavy blast door opened depositing SG-1 and General Landry into the gate room just as the two Tollan representatives walked slowly down the ramp.

"Stand down." Landry ordered which the security forces immediately complied. "I'm General Hank Landry welcome to Earth." Landry greeted.

"I am Narim this is my associate Orthan Director of the Tollan Science council." Narim said by way of introduction as he motioned to his companion.

"It is an honor." Orthan replied with a slight bow.

"So what can we do for you?" Mitchell asked.

Narim regarded Mitchell for a second. "I am sorry I do not believe we have met."

"Sorry." Cameron winced slightly "I'm Lieutenant Colonel Cameron Mitchell SG-1"

"I see." Narim replied. "What happened to Colonel O'Neill and General Hammond?"

"Promoted to head Homeworld Security." Carter shrugged slightly. "Both of them." She answered. "It's good to see you Narim."

"And you as well Samantha." Narim replied genuinely. Cater smiled brightly before realizing she had an audience staring at her.

"So what can we do for you?" she asked quickly trying to divert attention away from herself.

"May we talk privately?" Narim asked suddenly aware of his surroundings. "It is a matter of great importance."

"Briefing room." Landry answered turning to the blast door with Narim and Orthan following him. They in turn were followed by Daniel and Teal'c while Cater and Mitchell took up the rear.

"So Sam?" Mitchell spoke lowly but there was no hiding the humor in his voice. Cater directed her attention to Mitchell with a slight grin. "What's the deal with you and Mr. Narim?"

"We're friends." Cater responded quickly.

"uhh huhh." Cameron said with a smile.

"Don't even." Carter replied in the same good humor. They shared a laugh as they entered stargate operations and climbed the circular stairs that lead into the briefing room. Narim and Orthan took one side of the table while SG-1 took up their usual places and Landry took up his position at the head.

"I apologize for coming on such short notice." Narim spoke first as everyone settled in. "I know there is a great point of contention between our two peoples that was not resolved well when we last spoke."

"You could say that." Daniel stated.

"So we come to it then." Landry said getting to the point. "What can we do for you?"

"Recently our colony world of Calphina was attacked by the Goa'uld, the one you know as Ba'al." At hearing this bit of news the members of SG-1 and General Landry traded uncomfortable glances.

"He attacked with a fleet of Motherships." Narim continued. "His Jaffa boarded our orbiting research station stealing a prototype drive system we have been developing for some time. Once Ba'al recovered the drive system his fleet destroyed the orbital station then wiped out the colony's main settlement. Almost 7000 people were killed in the attack." The room grew quiet for a moment; despite their numerous skirmishes with the Goa'uld It never got easier to hear about the wholesale slaughter of a people.

"I'm truly sorry to hear that." Landry spoke sympathetically. "You have my sympathy."

"Thank you General."

"So what was this new drive system?" Carter asked diverting the room's attention away from the tragedy.

"A Quantum subspace displacement drive." Orthan answered. "It was one of my lead projects at Calphina."

"Quantum subspace drive?" Cater raised her eyebrows.

"A revolutionary type of drive system that would allow us to travel between alternate universes." Orthan answered.

"Wow!" Cater said in appreciation her mind already racing with the possible theories and physics involved.

"So this thing works right?" Mitchell asked.

"It does Colonel." Orthan answered. "We had just finished another series of successful tests earlier in the day. I was on my way back to Tollana with the data to review it before the Curia that's when the Goa'uld attacked and stole the device."

"While we sympathize with your situation Narim what exactly is it that your people expect from us?" Landry asked. The two Tollan shared a look before Narim continued.

"Even though relations between our two peoples is not as good as they once were; word has reached us through the Tok'ra of your considerable successes against the Goa'uld. We are aware of your great victory over Anubis two years ago and your numerous victories over Ba'al particularly at Dakara."

SG-1 nodded as Narim listed off their victories.

"We have also received word from the Tok'ra about a certain formidable warship in your possession a…_Prometheus_ you call it?" Carter looked to Landry who nodded.

"We do have Starship assets now." Carter confirmed.

"That is one of the reasons why we are here." Narim answered.

"The Tollan wish to use the _Prometheus_ to recover the device?" Teal'c stated seeing where the Tollan were going with their argument.

"Yes." Orthan confirmed." We know Ba'al has already used the quantum drive successfully and has left our galaxy with an unknown number of Ha'taks. It was our hope to procure a formidable warship, track him down and recover the drive system before any irreparable damage is done."

"Why only one ship?" Carter asked.

"Because we only have one other quantum drive." Orthan explained. "It was the first prototype developed several years ago. Its subspace field generator was only powerful enough for a small ship to ever utilize it without…incident." The way Orthan said that didn't exactly inspire confidence from his audience.

"Ultimately for all intense and purposes it was considered a failure but we did use it as the basis to build the second quantum drive. The second drive utilized lessons learned from the first device having a much greater energy output and subspace field generator capable of encompassing a small group of ships." Orthan stated.

"When you say a small group how small are we talking?" Mitchell asked.

"We never tested its exact limits." Orthan answered truthfully.

"Ballpark it." Mitchell shrugged.

"15 perhaps 30 ships…" The room simply stared at the Tollan as the incredulous request sunk in.

"Narim." Daniel was the first to recover. "What you're asking for is a lot, especially now, and there's still some bad feelings left after the attack."

"I-"

"-We understand that and we are truly sorry for that." Orthan said cutting Narim off. "But I do not think you have seriously thought about the ramifications if Ba'al is allowed to dominate this technology."

"Which are?" Teal'c asked.

Orthan fixed the Jaffa with a long look before responding. "If Ba'al is allowed to cross the dimensional barrier uncontested he will cause havoc across the multiverse as he builds his new empire. If he is not stopped now he will rise to dominance and there will be nothing that can stop him, including you."

"Wow wow wow lets just back up there for a second." Mitchell raised his hands then pointed to the Tollan representatives. "You want to borrow the _Prometheus_ so you can hop into this alternate universe retrieve a stolen piece of technology from under Ba'als nose and shut down his cross dimensional empire building?"

"Yes…" Narim answered with slight hesitation. SG-1 and Landry shared a look at that.

"Are you serious?"

"We are very serious Colonel Mitchell." Narim answered.

"Certainly an original request." Cater remarked dryly.

"Oh Yeah." Mitchell agreed with a bemused expression. "I see this one going down real well at the Pentagon."

"Indeed." Teal'c replied with a raised eyebrow.

"So why not use a Tollan ship?" Daniel asked.

"A Tollan ship would not be an optimal choice for the mission we had in mind."

"You expect to do battle." Teal'c stated again.

"Yes." Narim confirmed. "Tollan ships are optimized for transport and science missions. We are not a warring people and do no posses such ships."

"And since we do you were hoping to borrow ours." Daniel finished his line of thought.

"It is not just your warship." Orthan stated. "As I have stated earlier you have had considerable success against Ba'al. I am also aware that you have experience in cross dimensional travel." The members of SG-1 fidgeted in their seats each remembering a separate incident involving cross dimensional travel that didn't turn out too well.

"You want us to do this for you." Daniel surmised. "Recover your technology before the Goa'uld can do any serious damage."

"You would not be alone." Narim stated. "I would accompany you."

"As would I and the surviving members of my staff." Orthan confirmed. All eyes turned to General Landry.

"What exactly are your people offering for our help?" Landry asked thoughtfully.

"I would think stopping Ba'al from becoming the supreme system Lord and dominating all life in not just this Galaxy but others would be enough to propel you to action." Narim stated in surprise.

"To fix _your_ mistake." Mitchell pointed out reasonably.

"Believe me when I say this Colonel." Orthan's voice cracked slightly before he got it under control. "I did everything possible to destroy the technology before it fell into the hands of the Goa'uld. Unfortunately I was not fast enough to stop them." Orthan's face seemed to grow distant as if lost in memory. "They killed many of my people…friends I have worked with for years." Orthan focused his full attention on Colonel Mitchell. "Just as the Goa'uld fleet arrived our communications systems went offline. The Goa'uld bombardment knocked out our shields and crippled our defenses; they boarded the station sweeping through the last of our security forces like they weren't an obstacle and headed straight for the device as if they knew exactly where it was."

"How did they know it was operational? In fact how did they know what it was, or where to find it?" Daniel asked with a sinking feeling in his gut. Orthan and Narim shared an uncomfortable look.

"We do not know for certain." Narim finally answered.

"There are theories." Orthan stated bitterly.

"None of which can be proven." Narim responded looking directly at Orthan.

"You believe Ba'al to have a spy in your ranks." Teal'c said, again sizing up the situation impeccably.

"That is my belief." Orthan confirmed.

"One I do not share." Narim countered which raised some eyebrows around the table.

"And you want our help?" Mitchell asked incredulously.

"You are the only people we could turn to." Narim answered.

"_This_ sounds familiar." Daniel said causing Carter and Teal'c to nod.

"I do not understand?" Orthan frowned.

Daniel smiled. "Nothing."

"Narim." Carter started uncomfortably. "I don't think you realize what you're asking us to do. You're asking us to hunt down Ba'al at great cost to Earth." She looked at General Landry uncomfortably before returning her attention back to Narim. "If we're to convince our leaders to do this then they're going to want to see something concrete in return."

"I do not know what we can off you that would be acceptable to the-"

"How about cold fusion technology?" Orthan stated suddenly to the surprised glare from Narim. "I've read the information you've disclosed to the Curia about your current technological level. I understand that nuclear Fusion technology is something you have been attempting to achieve for some time now."

"Well yes." Cater stated straightening in her seat. "While we have developed stable Naquada fusion reactors we've yet to perfect the technique through standard means and materials."

"We can help you with that." Orthan began. "Our scientists perfected cold fusion technology a long time ago, it would be no trouble."

"You do not have the permission of the Curia to make such an offer!" Narim stated hotly.

"On the contrary." Orthan stated. "I spoke to Chancellor Travell after the meeting with the Curia; she reluctantly agreed that such a trade in technology would be necessary to procure Earths aid in retrieving the Quantum drive." Orthan directed his gaze to General Landry. "Assuming we have a deal."

"Travell working her magic again." Daniel remarked dryly.

"So it would seem." Teal'c agreed.

"Narim, even if we do agree to this we don't exactly have ships we could spare for this mission, our resources are spread pretty thin aiding the Jaffa in their war against the remaining system lords, not to mention _other_ concerns. And I'm afraid one ship with our current defense armament won't be enough to take on a fleet of Goa'uld ships." Carter related as her mind ran through the numbers and not liking the outcome.

"But you were stated to have developed powerful weapons capable of defeating Goa'uld ships." Narim countered.

"Well yes we have, but we have a limited supply of them at our disposal, we'd run out of ordinance long before we put a dent in Ba'als fleet." Narim seemed troubled by the news as Carter spoke. Orthan remained quiet watching the two speak until he recognized the opening offered to him.

"What kind of weapons are they?" Orthan asked thoughtfully. Again Carter looked to the General who nodded.

"We use ship to ship missiles fitted with Naquada enhanced nuclear warheads as our primary anti-ship armament. And we use railguns for point defense but they're not very effective against more massive or shielded targets.

"Railguns?" Orthan asked.

"A gun that uses an electrical current between 2 conducting magnetic rails to fire a solid slug at hypersonic velocities."

"Ingenious, but no energy weapons correct?"

"Not yet but we're working on them." Carter confirmed.

"Hmmm." Orthan nodded in consideration.

"You cannot seriously be thinking it!" Narim cried out in alarm.

"Chancellor Travell has authorized me to use whatever means necessary to get the Quantum drive back. She does not want the legacy of what happened the first time to happen again."

"So you trade one technology for another!?" Narim responded sounding almost livid at his colleague.

"The Tau'ri are not a threat to Tollana and in the past have conducted themselves with honor. Do you know of anyone else?"

"The Curia-"

"Will authorize it if it means recovery of the Quantum drive."

"They cannot-"

"The Tau'ri are not the Goa'uld. They will not use our technology to destroy innocent worlds where as the Goa'uld will. Travell understands this very well."

'I'm sorry, but what are we talking about exactly?" Mitchell asked catching the sudden tension between the two men.

"Ion cannons." Orthan stated simply. Again the room went quiet but now for a much different reason.

"Your serious?" Mitchell asked with a guarded expression.

"Completly Colonel Mitchell."

"Director Orthan." Daniel spoke up his face clearly showing that he wasn't convinced. "You're saying Travell and the Curia will authorize giving us Ion cannons...again?"

Do not misunderstand." Orthan explained. "It will be difficult to get authorization from the Curia on this matter. But the Goa'uld must not dominate this technology; they can not be allowed to destroy worlds across the multiverse. If they do the responsibility for it all will be laid at the Tollans feet."

"No offense or anything but weren't the Tollan willing to sacrifice worlds in this Galaxy including Earth to save its own ass?"

"Colonel." Landry shot Mitchell a warning glance before turning his attention back to the two Tollan representetives. "Despite his blunt way of putting it Colonel Mitchell does bring up a good point. Earth came within a hairs breath of having a weapon of mass destruction sent through our Stargate by you under orders from Tanith. And now we find ourselves in a similar situation with a similar offer of technology, I'm sure you can understand our scepticism."

"I understand." Orthan spoke up. "That was a different time and many members of the Curia have since been replaced. Our people were greatly shamed by those actions; it is something we do not want to experience again. I can assure you that this is no trick, there is no Goa'uld system lord on Tollana pulling the strings to entrap you. This is an honest plea for help." It seemed to Orthan that the temperature in the room had dropped noticably. He had figured that the Tau'ri would be skeptical of this proposal but that fact hadnt trully sunk in until now. For the first time since this meeting began Orthan began to doubt if he could sway the Tau'ri.

"Apparently not shamed enough to enact proper security measures." Landry snapped with a frown causing both Tollan to wince. "Becuase once again we find ourselves in a position where Tollan arrogance has allowed something like this to happen. Ba'al should never have been allowed to get within a lightyear of the damned thing; which should have been in a heavily guarded facility on Tollana and not some inadequetly defended outpost. This is starting to become a habit with you people, one I suggest you correct. Because quite frankly when you get down to it, Earth isnt at your beck and call to clean up your messes." Landry grumbled. "What about the next time? Or the time after that? This has got to stop!"

"We take full responsibility General Landry." Narim blushed, quickly trying his best to salvage the situation. Despite the grilling they were receiving he felt a brief glimmer of hope in the fact that the Tau'ri had not outright denied their help and sent them packing. They were venting their fustrations at the Tollans apparent ineptitude and... yes even arrogance. Uncomfortable as it was to be the one to endure it he could understand where the anger came from, but the offer of the Ion cannons by his counterpart had deeply disturbed him. Earth wasnt ready for that kind of technology, yes it was true they had a Hyperspace capable warship built with technology aquired from the Goa'uld and if the report was to believed even the Asgard. But in Narims mind he kept seeing the horror of Serita and the loss Tollan. Another tragic mistake the Tollan had made which had costed hundreds of millions of lives and the reason the Tollan kept their advanced technology such a closely guarded secret. He would definetly speak to Orthan on this matter. "When I return to Tollana I will use whatever means at my disposal to enact stricture security measures to make sure something like this never happens again, after recent events I am certain the Curia would listen. While that may prevent future incidents from occuring it does nothing to solve the current crisis. One that _will_ affect you whether you believe it or not. Ba'al must be stopped _now_ before he grows too powerful, and you are the only ones who can stop him."

"Which brings us back to this proposed mission to go after him." Mitchell stated.

"Yes Colonel." Orthan confirmed. "Chancellor Travell understands how bad the situation is and what it will mean for Tollana if the Goa'uld are allowed to use the quantum drive _we_ developed to enslave worlds across the multiverse. That is why she authorized me to make this offer of technology for your help."

"Even so." Carter asked dubiously. "Enough to swing the vote our way in the Curia?" She like Daniel and Mitchell had a hard time believing what Orthan was saying.

"If I throw my support in favor of it alongside Chancellor Travell then yes it would be enough. My voice carries much weight in the Curia and Travell's influence is still strong." Orthan reaffirmed. "But that will only happen if I come back with a positive response from you."

The room went quiet again at this new turn of events. The Tollan had never shown any interest in sharing technology in the past... discounting that one _incident._ For them to part with not one but two powerful technologies spoke volumes of how desperate they had to be.

"In the past we know you have had a strong interest in our technology particularly Ion cannons. Surly this has to be worth it?" Orthan asked. He received some skeptical looks from the room.

"Colonel." Landry spoke up directing his gaze to Carter. "Assuming we decide to undertake this mission using the _Prometheus_ and have it upgraded with Tollan Ion cannons; could the _Prometheus _have any reasonable chance of taking on Ba'als fleet?"

Carters face went blank as she calculated the odds.

"Colonel Carter?" General Landry prompted impatiently. Carter reflected on the question for a second before directing her attention back to Orthan.

"How many ships attacked your station?" she asked Orthan.

"There were at least 34 Ha'taks and a Flagship."

Receiving a glance from General Landry. "Sir assuming Ba'al uses the same fleet he attacked Calphina with we'd still be vastly outgunned. Even if we were to somehow use our entire fleet..." She shook her head. "I just don't see us winning against that many Motherships."

"So I guess charging in guns ablazin is out of the question." Mitchell considered.

"Probably hit and run tactics as well." Carter considered. "The only thing we'd have in our favor would be the element of surprise."

"Perhaps we could enlist the aid of local races." Teal'c offered.

"Worth a try." Carter considered. "But its not something Id depend on."

"All eyes turned to General Landry." I'll get in touch with General O'Neill and General Hammond." Landry said. "See what they think."

"We understand." Orthan said though it was clear he was nervous about the possible outcome.

"In the mean time these airmen will escort you to a nearby waiting room while we consult our superiors."

"Of course General." Narim replied. Both Tollan representatives rose from their chairs and followed the two SF's out of the briefing room. When Landry was sure they were out of earshot he turned his attention back to his flagship team.

"Well let's hear it."

"Ba'als forces have taken considerable losses in his recent battles against the free Jaffa. Just yesterday Bra'tac lead the liberation of his primary staging world. I would not put it past him to use such an opportunity to procure resources and technologies to swing the war back into his favor." Teal'c said.

"Not to mention the fact he'd have a safety net to fall back too if he needed to rebuild free from any opposition." Carter chipped in.

"And we'd probably be fighting this war again sometime down the road." Daniel added. "Only with Ba'al ten times stronger."

"On the technical side of things Ion cannons would make our ships a lot more formidable in combat as well as having an entire network of them protecting the planet." Carter added. "Not to mention Cold Fusion could conceivably end pollution on Earth, I think it's worth the risk sir."

Landry turned to Mitchell. "Yeah; what they said."

Landry sighed. "Can anyone give me a good reason why we shouldn't do this?" The General asked.

"It's a possibility we could run into a potentially hostile race even more powerful than the Goa'uld sir." Carter considered which darkened the mood considerably as the group thought over that possibility.

"Why cant it be the Goa'uld who run into these hostile situations?" Mitchell huffed and recieved a few chuckles from the group.

"Never the less Colonel Carter Ba'al is a known threat that must be dealt with." Teal'c responded. "He can not be allowed to rise to dominance again."

'I'm with Teal'c on this one sir. Let's take him down." Mitchell agreed. The room looked expectantly at Daniel.

"Do we really have a choice?" Daniel asked rhetorically. "I mean we know the free Jaffa is his main focus right now, but we all know he'll eventually turn his attention to Earth."

"Well then I'll get in touch with Jack; let him know what we have in mind and get approval for the mission. Colonel Carter I want you to review _Prometheus's_ specs and find where we can mount these weapons."

"Well in that case sir _Prometheus_ wouldn't be the optimal choice to undertake this mission." Carter countered.

"What did you have in mind?" Landry asked already having a good idea.

"We could use the _Odyssey_ sir. With _Daedalus_ half way to Pegasus she's the perfect platform to undertake this mission."

"Why is that?" Mitchell asked.

"_Odyssey_ has superior shields and energy reserves, 3 times the weapons and twice the fighter compliment just to name a few. We're going to need every advantage we can get if we're going against Ba'als fleet."

"Fine." Landry agreed. "Now if you'll excuse me I have a call to make."

"Do you have any idea what you have done!?" Narim growled at his companion the moment the door closed behind him.

"It was necessary Narim." Orthan countered. "This situation is entirely our fault."

"But to just give away our technology like that!?" Narim hissed. "It is Serita all over again."

"A few years ago I would have agreed with you my friend, in fact I did agree with you and Omok when the issue of transferring technology to Earth came up 5 years ago." Orthan said in a more conciliatory tone. "But the Tau'ri have grown _far_ more powerful as a people since we have last had dealings with them. They now have interstellar warships which changes how we must deal with them. If they were going to destroy themselves I would think they would have done so by now." Orthan sat down in a relatively comfortable chair. "Besides do you seriously think the Curia wants a rising power harboring a grudge against us? Especially one that took down the Replicators _and_ the Goa'uld Empire?"

Narim sat down next to Orthan, though he said nothing his body language indicated that he was at least listening.

"You are now on the Curia Narim, You know as well as I that the issue of reestablishing relations with the Tau'ri has come up several times over the years. Now suddenly we have a chance to rebuild our relationship with these people; one based on mutual benefit and respect. We can finally set things right."

"Why was I not informed?" Narim asked the question that had been gnawing at him since Orthan had offered Earth Tollana's most guarded secrets.

"In the Past the Curia was evenly split on the issue with literally 1 vote being the swing vote. I know you strongly support the old ways especially after Omoks death. But I have to wonder if those policies are outdated concerning Earth, especially in the face of this crisis." Orthan looked around the room when he realized he was stalling, finally he willed himself to look squarely into the eyes of his friend. "We didn't tell you because we knew you would do everything in your power to stop this before we even had a chance to make our proposal to Earth."

"So you went to Travell behind my back?"

Orthan considered for a second how to answer that. "I went to Travell who had already formulated a strategy on how to proceed. Everyone knew it but no one wanted to say it publicly; that Earth would be skeptical at best unless we offered something in return for their aid. The Tau'ri are good people but they are not altruistic Narim."

"I still have my reservations." Narim responded after a moment.

"I do to, but I am convinced they will not turn out like Serita, if anything we may have taken steps to mend this relationship with them."

The two sat in silence for several moments having come to a grudging consensus before an airmen entered.

"They're ready for you."

The two Tollan representatives stood up and shared a nervous look before following the airman back to the conference room and retook their seats.

"I have spoken to my superiors." Landry began as the two were seated. "They have agreed to your proposal. In exchange for Ion cannons, cold fusion technology and the reestablishment of diplomatic relations; the SGC will aid the Tollan in recovery of the QSDD. General O'Neill has recognized the severity of the situation; to that end he has devoted SG-1 and the _Odyssey_ to this mission."

Narim shared a confused look with Carter. "_Odyssey_ is the newest ship in our fleet and a more optimal choice for this mission than the _Prometheus_." She explained.

"I understand. Thank you General."

Landry nodded then turned his attention to Orthan. "Director Orthan assuming the Curia does give the green light for this little exchange how soon can we proceed?"

"As soon as tomorrow General." Orthan answered. "Chancellor Travell made sure that everything was hastily setup before we departed; all that was required to act was your compliance."

"Colonel Carter how soon can _Odyssey_ be equipped with these new weapon?"

"Well sir this is going to take some work. Our 304s _were_ designed with just such weapons in mind but the weapons themselves are nowhere near ready for deployment. Simply put; we'd need to build the base housings for the weapons from scratch, attach power conduits and computer links, possibly add additional naquada generators to ease the strain on the power grid, conduct extensive testing to see-" Landry simply stared in annoyance.

"A little over a month possibly a month and a half; provided things go smoothly." She added sheepishly.

"Alright; we've got a lot of work and not a lot of time. Lets get this done, dismissed."

The Meeting soon broke up each member of SG-1 going about their assigned tasks while the Tollan representatives gated home to confer with their leaders. It was close; just as Orthan had predicted, but the Curia backed the plan by a slim margin even Narim threw his support behind it (much to the surprise of the traditionalists) but only after making his reservations noted. By the next morning the first delivery of equipment and Personnel to area 51 arrived and was soon whisked away to begin the work of giving Earths newest ship a very sharp set of teeth.

**Groom Lake Area 51 **

**Nevada United States**

**Earth**

**One Month later**

In the Nevada night sky stars twinkled serenely against the backdrop of space as the Chevy Tahoe and its 5 companions sped along the groom lake dry flats to a seemingly unimpressive looking desert landscape illuminated by the distant light sources of nearby hanger facilities and search lights of a nearby guard tower. Seated in the front seat of the lead Tahoe Samantha Carter had to suppress a grin as she saw the sleeping and drooling form of Daniel's head on Teal'c shoulder. The Jaffa regarded Daniel for a second with a raised eyebrow then looked to Carter with the same expression. As Carter turned away to hide her laughter Teal'c did a not so gentle shrug of his shoulders which woke the sleeping archeologist like a jolt.

"Uhmm I'm awake!" Daniel stated straitening up in his seat; glancing at Teal'c who simply raised an eyebrow in return as Daniel wiped the drool from his face.

"You were sleeping Daniel Jackson." Teal'c stated.

'No I wasn't I was just…resting." Daniel squinted around the cramped vehicle noticing Orthan and Narim staring out the windows intently. "Are we there yet?"

"Few more minutes." Mitchell confirmed from the row behind him as he glanced at his watch reading 01:30. "God I hate late nights." Mitchell exclaimed rubbing a hand over his face.

"Colonel Mitchell If I might ask, why are you launching your ship at such a late hour in the evening?" Narim asked.

"Less chance of attracting unwanted attention." Mitchell answered.

"I do not understand." Narim replied.

"The Stargate program is still a classified operation. Until we go public we have to take measures like this to ensure we aren't discovered." Carter answered.

"I see." Narim replied evenly.

Mitchell laughed. "This place is hugely popular with UFO enthusiasts looking for the next big alien spaceship. They think Area 51 is where the government conducts top secret research and development of alien spacecraft. And… well for the most part they're right."

"What is a UFO?" Narim asked.

"Unidentified Flying Object." Mitchell tried to explain. "But in most cases people just assume alien space ship with that acronym. As for the conspiracy nut jobs they believe the government is hiding the truth from them about alien life."

"It is from my understanding that the vast majority of your world is still unaware of alien life." Orthan commented tearing his gaze away from the window.

"They are." Mitchell confirmed. "But that doesn't stop people from speculating about what's going out here." Mitchell pointed upward. "Or out there. In a perverse kind of a way it makes it the perfect cover story. I mean what government would actually be stupid enough to conduct research and development of alien technology at a facility everyone knows about?"

Narim blinked, then blinked again before deciding to refrain from commenting on Colonel Mitchells odd sense of logic and apparently the United States government's as well.

The Convoy arrived at its destination an odd red and white building looking no bigger than a simple storage shack along the rocky makeshift road in the fenced off desert landscape; far from the prying eyes of UFO enthusiasts. In the starlit night crickets could be heard chirping in the far off distance as a light wind added to the chill as the near total darkness was now only partially lit by the full moon overhead. Which was enough for everyone to see the few sign posts warning intruders they would be arrested or shot on site, not nessisarily in that order.

"Here we are." Carter stated as the group poured out of their vehicles. The members of the SGC who had done this dozens of times unloaded their bags from the vehicles without a second thought while the Tollan representatives looked this way and that in total bafflement.

"Samantha?" Narim asked having done a 360 of their surrounding area and seeing nothing that looked remotely like a Starship.

"It's this way." She smiled reassuringly."

"I don't know about the rest of you but when we get our bags onboard I am so going to get some sleep." Mitchell enthused as he grabbed his bag from the rear of the Tahoe and moved to the entrance of the shack. He produced his card and ran it through the scanner allowing the doors to open and the rest of SG-1 along with the 2 Tollan scientists to enter while the rest of the convoy's occupants were still retrieving their gear. As the doors closed Mitchell again slid his card through the scanner then punched a number on the board sending the elevator downward. As the elevator came to a stop the doors parted to reveal a massive underground hanger complex with a sleeping giant of a ship at its center. It still gave the members of SG-1 a smile every time they saw one of these and as Daniel looked to their guest could tell they were reasonably impressed as well.

"The _Odyssey_." Carter stated for the group. "Second ship of the 304 _Daedalus_ class and now..." Carter drew her gaze upward at the main hull and noted several large cannons bearing the telltale resemblance of Tollan designs "…Is the first ship to be equipped with energy based weapons."

The rest of the group took in the view although they couldn't see it they knew from technical briefings with Orthan's assistant Talia that the Ion cannon they were seeing was one of four such mounts along the main hull. Each weapon was placed in purpose built housings with two facing forward and two facing aft on their slightly elevated mounts. It only enhanced the overall look of a powerful warship of the Tau'ri who's ships would soon be prowling the spacelanes with the ability to kick the crap out of anything that crossed their path…short of an Asgard ship or perhaps Ba'als flagship which was a thought that the members of SG-1 and the Tollan personnel tried not to dwell on.

Mitchell whistled in appreciation. "I got a hand it to you Orthan your tech crews did a superb job."

"It was not really that much trouble." Orthan noted. "Talia told me it seemed the ship was designed with housings for heavy energy weapons in mind."

"They were." Cater confirmed. "Before our agreement we were working on a variation of a Goa'uld plasma weapon that would have acted as our primary weapon."

"Really?" Orthan asked intrigued; remembering several references to the weapon. "What happened to them?"

Carter grimaced at the memory. "They haven't exactly panned out yet."

"Of course." Orthan said in understanding. "Perhaps we could be of assistance there when we return from this mission."

"That would be a lot of help thank you." Carter smiled back. Over the course of the past month Carter had spent a lot of time with Orthan and Talia and had come to appreciate them for their honesty and kindness something that had been in short supply in past dealings with the Tollan with the exception of Narim.

The group moved to the gangway and boarded the ship; after a close inspection from the SFs. SG-1 and the Tollan representatives moved to their assigned quarters and stowed their gear. Having finished settling in Cater was on her way to the bridge when she ran into Mitchell.

"Sam." Mitchell said with a tired smile.

"Cam." Carter responded.

"You know I was just thinking about something." Cameron said gliding into step with her. "Just how effective are these new guns gonna be?"

"Well the Tollan claim these new and improved Ion cannons can punch clean through a Motherships shields without any trouble. I've looked at the tests and simulations and… they seem to support that claim."

"But?" Mitchell asked catching the slight hesitation in her voice.

"They've never actually been used against an Anubis upgraded Mothership." Cater responded with a slight hint of disappointment.

"Something Orthan forgot to mention." Mitchell groaned as the other shoe fell. "Guess it's a little too late to back out now huh?"

Carter laughed in good humor. "I've gone over the specs and energy requirements, even if they don't breach a Motherships shields in one shot they're still easily superior to Goa'uld cannons; even the variant that we've been working on."

"Enough for the _Odyssey_ to take on a fleet of Motherships and a flagship?" Mitchell asked. Carter held her tongue. "I was afraid of that. So why are we doing this again?" He asked rhetorically.

They reached the bridge and noted that preflight procedures were well underway; more than a dozen crewman were operating stations on the bridge and moved with a sense of urgency as they prepared for takeoff.

"Colonel Mitchell, Samantha." Narim said in greeting when he arrived on the bridge.

"So what do you think of the ship? Not bad for a bunch of primitives eh?" Mitchell asked.

"I am most impressed." Narim admitted. "As are Talia and Director Orthan. Unless we had seen it none of us would have believed it possible that a world with your current technological level could have built such an amazing ship."

"Thank you Narim." Carter smiled.

"If I may ask; some of the sytems on board seem far more advanced then those we recognized based off Goa'uld technology. Can you tell me where you aquired them?" Narim already had an idea thanks to the report from the Tok'ra but he hadnt really believed it. Howerver having been onboard the _Odyssey_ for only a short time had radically changed his views. It hammered home the point just how much Earth had advanced since the last time the Tollan had any dealings with them, and how they were still advancing.

"Well various sources here and there, but predominatly much of the technology incorporated in the 304s are Asgard in origin." Carter explained with a hint of pride.

"The Asgard directly install their systems in these ships?" Narim asked.

"Ahh no. While the systems are Asgard designed they're manufactured here on Earth thanks to a little technical assistance from a team of Asgard technical advisors at Area-51. Everything is locally constructed."

"Remarkable." Narim smiled. "Had I not seen it I would not have believed it. The Tau'ri have much to be proud of, but I do have one grave concern about this ship."

"Oh?" Carter and Mitchell shared a look. "Whats that?"

"Your ships life-support systems seem...well I do not wish to offend-"

"-Crude?" Mitchell offered.

"I was going to say insuficient for what could be a potentially long voyage but that analogy works as well."

"Yeah..." Carter grimaced slightly. "We've been working on newer systems with much greater reserves but they're quite a while off. Our ships life-support systems just dont have the kind of endurance we'd like."

"Uh Sam." Mitchell spoke up. "I think we're about to launch soon." The three moved into the bridge proper and did their best to stay out of the way as the crew ran down their preflight checklists.

"Sub light thrusters primed."

"Switching from shore-side to internal power." There was the briefest flicker of the ships lighting indicating that _Odyssey_ had switched to internal power.

"Naquada generators 1 through 8 at idle generation, main reactor at nominal output."

"Life support switched to internal; pressurized at 14PSI, temperature within norms. Gangway retracting."

"Anti-grav wave generators to standby…"

"Inertial compensators and shields are set to maximum." Having finished with the preflight checklist Captain Marks turned to the ships master himself occupying the center chair.

"All systems green we're go for launch Colonel."

"Thank you Captain." Colonel Emerson said as he rose from his seat. He tapped the compact headset/microphone; the system that linked him into the _Odyssey's_ communications systems. "Tower this is _Odyssey_ requesting departure clearance."

"_Odyssey_ this is tower permission to launch granted. We are 30 seconds from launch window; contact Vandenberg on SATCOM 2 upon entering standard orbit."

"Understood." Emerson replied into the link.

"God speed _Odyssey_ and good hunting." The technician signed off. Outside the ship in the huge docking bay; personnel hurried into thick concrete bunkers as the lighting in the bay wound down to bare minimal levels. At the same moment a sound more like a jet engine powering up increased in volume as a low rumble permeated the air. Above the starship the concrete/steel mesh docking bay doors jolted then began to retract dumping a considerable amount of dirt on the ships main hull. As the doors parted the ships helmsman (Or in this case helmswoman) maintained a steady grip on her yoke as the ships auto-pilot slowly brought the _Odyssey_ up and out of her lair; a barely audible high pitch whine the only noise she made. Once she was about 100 feet from the ground she hovered for a moment before the ships sub-light thrusters ignited propelling her upward out of the atmosphere and into Earth orbit.

"We've reached standard orbit sir." Lieutenant Stephanie Womack reported from the pilots station, she like Marks were on loan from _Prometheus_ while the ship was undergoing yet another refit.

"Captain Marks contact Vandenberg on TAC 2. Let them know _Odyssey_ has reached Earth orbit and is standing by for mission go ahead."

"Roger that sir." The young officer went about his task. Moving till he stood next to the two members of SG-1 on his bridge Emerson spoke quietly.

"Though I appreciate the new guns Sam I'm not too crazy about jumping into another universe to face a fleet of Motherships and God knows what else that could be out there." Though he spoke casually Carter could detect the undercurrent of concern in his voice. She couldn't blame him; while Ba'al had a fleet of Motherships for support Emerson was being asked to take the _Odyssey_ into an alternate universe alone with what little support the SGC could provide in the form of SG-1. With potential hostiles at every turn, an unstable drive system that wasn't designed for a ship this large; utilizing experimental weapons that hadn't yet been proven…it was very unenviable position to be in and everyone knew it.

"Price of working for Stargate Command sir." Carter joked receiving a small chuckle from Emerson. "SG-1's taxi service."

"Still, this is uncharted territory." Emerson said in all seriousness. "I just hope this quantum drive works as the Tollan says it does."

"We'll know in a few minutes." Carter added.

"Sir Space Command acknowledges and has given the green light for mission go ahead." Marks reported. Emerson turned to the two members of SG-1 "Let's get this party started then." Tapping his headset "Engineering, bridge whenever your ready director."

Deep in the bowels of the ships engineering section Director Orthan and his assistant Talia were working along side the ships engineering crew as they made final preparations for their jump into the universe where Ba'al and his surviving forces had escaped too. Having arrived in Engineering in the midst of the Chaos Daniel and Teal'c looked on (and traded trepid glances) as the Tollan and their Tau'ri associates made final preparation."

"Daniel Jackson perhaps it would be prudent to make a hasty withdraw." Teal'c said eyeing the QSDD drive with a curious look.

"Oh? Why do you say that Teal'c?" Daniel asked.

"I once remember O'neill saying something about SG-1's infamous bad luck concerning alien technology. I thought it prudent we depart engineering before we find ourselves in a situation where that theory is put to the test."

Daniel opened his mouth to respond then stopped. He eyed the QSDD for a second before regarding Teal'c "Yeah; probably a good idea, lets book." As the two members of SG-1 departed Engineering all activity continued unabated.

"All diagnostics are green and coordinates have been inputted." Talia said as she studied her board. "We are ready Director."

"Colonel we are begging activation now."

"Understood Director." Emerson responded from the mike/boon headset around Orthan's ear. "We're in your hands now so if something looks wrong don't hesitate to abort."

"I understand Colonel." Orthan said. Finally glancing one last time around the ship Orthan took a deep breath and began the activation sequence.

"Here we go."


	4. Chapter 4 Down the Rabbit Hole

**Chapter Four: Down The Rabbit Hole**

**USS Odyssey **

**Earth Orbit**

For a few moments after Orthan pressed the control nothing happened, then with a slow increasing humming sound the quantum drive began powering up. Lights throughout the _Odyssey_ dimmed noticeably as the drive drew the lions share of the energy being produced by _Odyssey's_ naqauda reactors. A pronounced vibration began to be felt throughout the vessel as the drive powered up.

"Quantum drive fully charged," Talia said checking her readings on the quaint Earth made plasma display screen. It had been along time since the Tollan had used such a system but she couldn't argue with the quality of the graphic display, it was every bit as good as the holographic viewers she was used to. "Subspace matrix is stable, ready to create the vortex."

"Do it," Orthan ordered, mentally crossing his fingers that the drive would work and not blow them to kingdom come. Opening up a vortex large enough for a ship this size was going to put enormous stress on the prototype drives power systems. He watched as Talia pressed the control to engage the drives primary function.

For a moment more nothing happened then a glowing vortex opened in space ahead of the _Odyssey_. It was like a hyperspace window only blue and static as opposed to the aquamarine and white colors of a hyperspace window. For a moment both the vortex and the _Odyssey_ remained static in space, then the massively powerful ion drives of the _Odyssey_ engaged and the second of the _Daedalus_-class starships vanished into the vortex which then folded closed behind them as if it had never been.

The moment they crossed the event horizon of the vortex the _Odyssey_ shook violently, being tossed around by subspace forces she had never been designed to withstand. Arcs of St Elmo's Fire like energy crackled along the hull of the vessel, dancing over her view ports treating the crew inside to one hell of a light show. The ship bucked and rolled as though in the grips of a storm as she shot down a glowing tunnel of energy.

Clutching the edge of the console set aside for them in engineering Orthan watched in growing concern as temperature readings from the core of the quantum drive quickly shot up into the red zone. The subspace field coils in the core of the drive were getting dangerously hot as they fought to maintain the field around the ship. _Just a little longer,_ he thought at the warning lights that appeared on the display, _just keep working a little longer, we are almost there._

A shudder even more violent than any that had gone before shook the ship making the consoles and crystals that were a fundamental part of the ships technology vibrate and rattle in their mountings. Then it was over, the ship stabilized as she transited back into normal space.

To find Jupiter looming right in front of them, filling space with its vastness. They had emerged from the vortex dangerously close to the gas giant, well within the massive planets formidable gravity well. Inside the orbit of the innermost of the major moons Io.

"Full emergency thrust, veer us away!" Colonel Emerson ordered urgently, staring at the expressive view ports at the front of the bridge. The great red spot, the storm that had been raging in Jupiter's atmosphere for centuries was directly ahead looking greedily ready to devour the _Odyssey_ whole. High pitched whining filled the _Odyssey_ as her engines went into full emergency reverse thrust, slowing the ships ballistic plunge towards the gas giant.

Slowly, ever so slowly, the _Odyssey_ began to pull away from the planet, rising away from the doom the planet promised. Her speed picked up and the ship rose steadily and established a stable orbit of the planet.

"Orbit achieved sir," Lt. Womack reported with a sigh of relief.

"Excellent," Emerson replied, blissfully unaware that the _Odyssey_ wasn't the only starship in the system and that the ship that was already here had just seen them.

**Taelon Mothership**

**Earth Orbit**

**A Few Moments Earlier**

Quo'on – leader of the Taelon Synod – was starting to get a little irritated by the conversation that was going on between himself, the North American Companion and his preferred choice to succeed him as Synod Leader Da'an, and Da'an arrogant, headstrong offspring the UN Companion Zo'or.

"The detection of the subspace radio signal gives us an invaluable opportunity to increase the pace of our agenda on Earth," Zo'or said. "By making the Humans aware of the Jaridian threat now we can bend them more to serve our will."

"I have to agree with Zo'or but only to a point," Da'an added. "We should make the Humans aware of the threat that we both face, only do it in such away that we can acquire the voluntary help of the Humans in combating them."

"We do not have the time for such a strategy Da'an," Zo'or snapped. "The survival of the Taelon race is at stake, we must take any and all actions required to ensure our survival. Using the Humans in any way that is required is the perfect means of ensuring our survival. We both know who the Humans are descended from, if we can tap into their hidden powers then our survival is assured, the cost to the Humans is immaterial."

"Enough," Quo'on said. "You both have valid points, but the decision has been made. Our mission on Earth will continue according to our original directive. We will guide the Humans to their destiny as is our duty. If the need arises we will inform them of the Jaridian threat, but now is not the time." Da'an inclined his head slightly in acknowledgement and submission to the final decision of the Synod Leader. Zo'or looked ready to argue further and Quo'on prepared to quietly – in a very Taelon way – put the younger Taelon in his place when the melodic chimes of the sensors called for attention.

"What is it?" Quo'on asked one of the implants on the bridge.

"Quo'on sensors have detected an unidentified spatial disturbance over Jupiter," the implant reported in a cool voice, as the implant the human wore removed all emotions. A situation Quo'on and Da'an both quietly disagreed with – Humans were much more interesting when they had their full range of emotions – but they had been overruled by the rest of the Synod. "A ship has emerged from the disturbance and is heading for the gas giants upper atmosphere."

"Identify," Quo'on ordered.

"Configuration unknown. The ship is now moving up to orbit the gas giant."

"Scan for life forms."

"Life forms read as Human."

"What! Confirm that," Zo'or ordered.

"Readings confirmed, Zo'or. Life signs are clearly human."

"Interesting," Quo'on said. "Navigation, break orbit and move to intercept the unknown ship. Communications prepare to hail them on my order."

"Yes, Quo'on," the two Taelons in charge of those sections reported from their control blisters on the wall of the motherships bridge.

With a grace that belief her immense size and complexity, the Taelon mothership broke away from its geostationary orbit over the Taelons moon base and aligned herself on a course that would take her to Jupiter. But rather than spend nearly an hour cruising the distance between the third and fifth planets of the system the motherships Interdementional drive engaged in a blast of quantum fire taking her away from orbit of Earth's moon, and a moment later she reappeared over Jupiter in another flash of quantum fire.

The unknown ship that was giving off Human life signs floated in space in front of the mothership. Bristling with obvious weapons batteries the ship was clearly a warship, though it did not much the configuration of any warship stored in the Taelon motherships vast database.

With a wave of a hand Quo'on summoned up a datastream display and a command to the controls on the arm of his chair – the only chair on the bridge – ordered the sensor readings to displayed in the datastream. The alien vessel was about the same size of one of the aircraft carriers that until the Taelon arrival had cruised Earth's ocean. The design was interesting albeit somewhat primitive; the hull metal was a mixture of trinium – something that was not naturally occurring in this system – and titanium composites. The mothership also picked up considerable stores of naquada present on the vessel and it appeared to be deriving its power from a primitive naquada fusion reaction. The weapons systems though appeared to be very advanced ion based particle cannons and missile launchers, the shield system was impressive and easily matched the shield output of a Taelon heavy cruiser, the ship also seemed to mount highly advanced hyperspace drive technology. _Interesting,_ Quo'on thought, _an odd mixture of primitive and highly advanced technologies. And what are these odd quantum readings it's giving off? It doesn't match any of the surrounding space._

"Quo'on the unknown ship has raised its shields," Agent Ronald Sandoval reported from where he had taken over control of the sensor station from the drone implant that had been operating it. "Weapons systems however remain powered down. We are being scanned."

"They must be nervous and cautious," Da'an said. "We should contact them."

Quo'on nodded in agreement. "Communications open a channel to the unknown vessel," Quo'on ordered.

"Channel open, Quo'on," communications replied.

"Attention unknown warship, I am Quo'on of the Taelon Synod. You have entered Taelon protected space, identify yourself immediately and state your intentions."

**USAF Odyssey**

**A Few Moments Earlier**

To say that the crew of the _Odyssey_ was surprised when a highly advanced, obviously powerful, absolutely enormous alien vessel appeared out of nowhere right in front of them would have been understatement.

"Where the hell did that come from?" Cameron Mitchell asked.

"Unknown," Sam Carter replied as Narim stepped closer to view the sensor readouts. "It didn't decloak. It just appeared, presumably via a method of faster than light propulsion that we are unfamiliar with."

"Alien ship is scanning us." Marks reported.

"Let's not take any chances, raise shields but leave weapons systems powered down," Colonel Emerson ordered. "I want us to appear cautious not hostile."

"Aye, sir."

"Scan them in return," Emerson ordered. "They're curious about us its only fair that we return the favor."

"Scanning now, sir," another bridge officer reported turning the _Odyssey's _formidable Asgard designed scanners on the alien vessel. Invisible, highly accurate subspace sensor beams reached across space and began probing the secrets of the massive alien starship that had just materialized in front of the _Odyssey._

A holographic screen blinked into existence in front of the viewing windows at the front of the bridge. Windows that were themselves a material the Asgard had taught them to make, a material that was capable of withstanding the enormous stress put on a ship by traveling in hyperspace. The alien vessel was an astonishing nine kilometers long by nearly a kilometer wide and half a kilometer tall. Bigger by far than any vessel the SGC had ever encountered, this ship put Wraith hiveships to shame for its sheer vastness. The sensors revealed the ships composition was highly unusual in that like a Wraith starship the unknown vessel was organic yet an organic material that was somehow merged with strange energy fields and conduits. The ships power emissions were almost off the scale, it was putting out many times the energy of anything they'd seen this side of an Ancient or Asgard vessels.

"Impressive," Narim commented reading the scan readouts. "I wonder what there power source is."

"Probably a ZPM or something similar." Sam said.

"A what?" Narim asked.

"Zero point module, it's the power source used by the Ancients, basically it taps vacuum energy from a self contained region of subspace, a universe in a bottle if you will," Sam replied. "We've recovered two over the years, ones now depleted the other has been sent to an off world facility we have in another galaxy." Sam wanted to tell Narim that they had sent the ZPM to Atlantis, but they were under orders not to reveal the existence of Atlantis to the Tollan, at least not yet anyway. It was a sign of the damaged trust between Earth and Tollana.

"Colonel we've got a signal coming in from the alien ship." Marks reported before Narim could ask Samantha for any details about this mysterious off world facility in another galaxy. Narim made a mental note to talk to her about it and these ZPM's later, the Tollan people would be very interested in getting a look at the power source used by the strongest race to have ever existed.

"Put it through." Emerson ordered.

"Attention unknown warship," a strange, melodic ethereal alien voice said over the radio in perfect English. "I am Quo'on of the Taelon Synod. You have entered Taelon protected space, identify yourself immediately and state your intentions."

Silence reigned on the _Odyssey_ for a moment, stunned silence as everyone digested what they had just heard. Everyone asking themselves what a Taelon was, they had never heard an alien race of that name before. Whoever they were their vessel indicated that they were a very powerful race, a race that claimed this system as a protectorate.

"Unknown vessel, please respond." Quo'on's voice said again.

"We should respond," Daniel said. "These Taelons might be able to help us find and deal with Ba'al."

"Agreed but how should we respond," Emerson said. "Somehow I doubt that this Earth has space going vessels. If we identify ourselves as an Earth vessel then these Taelons might ask some very awkward questions."

"There is away around that," Daniel pointed out. "We could use what the Goa'uld called us to identify ourselves."

"Tau'ri," Emerson replied thoughtfully. "I suppose its better than nothing and should buy us some time. Okay we'll use it, any objections please lodge them now." There were no objections from anyone around the bridge. "Very well, communications open a channel."

"Channel open, sir."

Emerson took a deep breath for a moment to steady his nerves before speaking. "This is Colonel Emerson of the Tau'ri ship _Odyssey_. We mean you no harm." For a moment there was no response from the alien vessel.

"Be that as it may Colonel Emerson," Quo'on's voice said. "You have viloated Taelon protected space without permission. Why are you here?"

Emerson grimaced and considered how best to answer that question. He glanced over at SG-1and Narim to see if they had any ideas on how to answer Quo'on, one by one everyone shrugged until Daniel spoke up.

"We might as well tell them the truth," Daniel said. "After a fashion of course, we can tell them were tracking an enemy of ours, but leave out the fact that we're from another universe. For now at least, these Taelons look like an advanced race, maybe they can help us track down Ba'al's fleet and recover the stolen quantum drive."

Emerson nodded in agreement, then addressed the Taelons. "We are here tracking an enemy of ours," he said. "We tracked them to this part of space, before loosing them."

"Who is this enemy?" Quo'on asked.

"They are called the Goa'uld," Emerson answered. "A large fleet of their vessels was traced coming to this region of space."

"You lie. The Goa'uld race is extinct," Quo'on replied. "We destroyed them three thousand years ago."

"I assure you it is no lie, Quo'on," Emerson answered. "We know a large fleet of their warships came to this area in the last few weeks."

"Stand by." Quo'on said a moment before there was a bleep.

"Communications link has gone on stand by, sir," communications said.

"Great now what?" Cameron Mitchell asked.

"We wait." Daniel answered.

**Taelon Mothership**

Quo'on put the transmission with the _Odyssey_ on stand by and turned to Da'an and Zo'or, both of whom had been listening quietly.

"They cannot be telling the truth," Zo'or said. "Every Taelon knows that the Goa'uld are as dead as the Kimera. Since they are obviously unwilling to tell us the truth we should take their vessel by force and find out why they are really here and where some humans got the knowledge required to build a hyperspace capable warship."

"On the contrary," Da'an replied. "They could well be telling the truth. Not every Goa'uld Queen was accounted for during our campaign against them. If some have indeed survived and rebuilt their forces then who knows how far they have advanced technologically in the last three thousand years. With our forces distracted by the war with the Jaridians we would not necessarily notice any survivors rebuilding and evolving in a remote region of space."

"That is most unlikely," Zo'or argued.

"Can we take the risk? If indeed the Goa'uld are back in numbers then the Synod needs to know about it."

"You are correct, Da'an," Quo'on said, feeling the agreement of other members of the Synod through the Commonality.

"We should invite them aboard the mothershiop," Da'an suggested. "That way we can talk to them face to face in a controled environment."

"Agreed," Quo'on replied and pressed a control on his chair arm. "Colonel Emerson I believe we may have been hasty in our assumptions," he said. "If you are indeed telling us the truth then be prepared to send a delegation over to this ship to discuss this matter. Your people will not be harmed, you have my word."

**USAF Odyssey**

Emerson frowned at Quo'on's words. Though it hadn't been said he clearly heard a veiled threat in Quo'on's statement, the Taelons obviously still didn't quite believe them, but were giving them a chance to prove their case. If they failed to take up Quo'on's offer then there was no doubt in his mind that the Taelons would fire at them then board them to find out the truth.

"Very well Quo'on we'll send a delegation aboard your vessel," he said. "But not right now, we will require time to prepare."

"That is acceptable. I suggest we both go to Earth orbit, is an hour sufficient time to prepare for a meeting?"

"That will be fine," Emerson replied.

"Then I look forward to meeting your representatives," Quo'on answered. "Quo'on out." The communications link with the Taelon ship closed down with a soft bleep and through the viewport they could see the gigantic alien vessel slowly turning away from them.

"Helm match their course," Emerson ordered.

"Yes, sir."

"Well looks like we have a meeting to prepare for," Mitchell said. "We better decide whose going and what we are going to say to these Taelons."

"Indeed," Teal'c agreed.

Elsewhere

The dry air of the planet hummed, a tooth shaking ground swell of noise that grew louder and louder. The sand danced upon the ground and hardy insects and lizards fled to their deep burrows and nests to escape the unnatural reverberation. The noise reached a crescendo and was joined by a large moving shadow, a shape which covered the sun as it lingered high in the air before descending to the desert floor with a glint of shaped and burnished metal.

The Al'kesh pressed into the ground, compressing the shifting sands into a solid platform the craft could rest on, it's guns cool and silent while doors in its belly slid open and deployed ramps for its occupants to depart.

A single man was the first to step down, to plant his heavy boots on the yellow sand of this otherwise deserted world. In his mind it was a homecoming, a triumphant return, but to the timeless memory of the rocks and sand this man was new, unknown and one of only a handful of visitors who had pressed their feet on the ground in the long years of existence.

"Legion!" First Prime Ter'ak shouted. "Cree'tak!"

More alien noise filled the air, this time the steady thump of steel shod feet on the metal ramp of the Al'kesh. A column of dull metal clanged down the lowered platform and onto the sands, the sound of the progression changing as the texture of the ground beneath them altered. Ter'ak stood by proudly as the warriors proceeded in perfect unison, the column a dozen men wide and over a hundred long filing out of the landing ship without so much as a word or step out of place.

They wheeled around and halted in front of the ship, turning to the right to face out towards the mountain where in a different time and place the Jaffa as a race had been born.

He gave a slight nod of approval, the Legions of Ba'al were different to ordinary Jaffa and it was mostly down to Ter'ak. Most warriors fought as their forefathers had generations ago, emphasising courage and divine favour as the core principles of victory. Ter'ak was not so naïve, and while those principles had their place on the battlefield he believed the gods gave victory to those who earned it.

His Jaffa were disciplined, a team of men who knew what battle demanded of them. They drilled in formation, trained in small groups and knew to use terrain and firepower to their advantage. As far as Ter'ak cared his Jaffa were worth any three in the service of lesser gods, he even considered them equal to the Tau'ri in favourable circumstances.  
They were a perfect union of warrior and soldier, utilizing the best of both worlds. They were a modern army for a modern Goa'uld, and Ba'al was the only lord who knew how to use them effectively. Ter'ak did not merely serve his god, he respected him, and as such his loyalty was above question.

"Jaffa!" He bellowed. "Bear witness! This is Dakarra! This world, is our world!"  
He pointed to the mountain. "This land is our land! Its air is in our lungs! Its dust in our blood! We are Dakarra, and Dakarra is us!"

Behind him the Jaffa thumped their staffs on the ground, a shuddering thump of agreement.

"The city of our people will rise anew on the slopes of this holy place!" He proclaimed. "Like the founders of our line we will build a shrine on this world, a temple to the might of the Jaffa and the resolution of our hearts!"

The staffs thundered again.

"As we stand, and as we fall, this world will be our home! I reclaim Dakarra in the name of Ba'al! Now and forever!"

The Legion roared in one voice. "Ba'al!"

Ter'ak turned to them with a fatherly expression. "Establish a perimeter, then signal the other ships we are ready to begin construction."

High in orbit the transports began their descent while the much larger Hatak's remained on station providing cover should any force try to intervene. Fighters roamed space and escorted the slave ships down to the surface and patrolled for targets.

"This is Glider four to lead, I have a possible target."

The Goa'uld fighter altered course slightly, leaving its assigned sector to investigate this sudden anomaly.

"What are you showing?" the old voice of the lead pilot replied from the far side of the convoy.

"It is a signal, faint, not something we have on records."

"Investigate."

The fighter cruised through space zeroing in on the source of the signal, it wasn't a ship, probably not a fighter either. Whatever it was the target was small and clearly trying to go unnoticed. He was almost on top of it before he caught sight of an alien object.

"Glider four, target sighted. some sort of probe."

"Secrecy is essential." The leader stated. "Open fire."

The glider adjusted course and primed his weapons with a crackle of golden energy. The target was small and assisted aiming consisted of squinting a bit more than usual before firing. He engaged with a quick burst of staff fire, amazing the object started taking immediate evasive action so most of the shots missed but one clipped the frantically dodging device, instantly stopping its signal and robbing it of power.

The fighter shot past and swung around for another run.

"Target disabled, moving in to finish it."

"Wait," the leader said. "No, hold position. If it is inert it might be worth studying. We have orders to examine evidence of other civilisations if we can. I am sending a cargo ship. Well done Jaffa, your accuracy is commendable."

The Pilot shrugged, he'd been aiming to destroy it but he wasn't going to shrug off praise.

"I live to serve."

Ba'al decided that he deserved a moment to just rest and enjoy the fruits of his effort. He reclined lazily in the deep chair he had grown used to and regarded the planet through the reinforced window of his command deck. It was not the Dakarra he knew, it did not have the heritage or presence, but all that was in name only. This was the same place, and when he was done it would surpass the glory of its twin in the other dimension.

Ba'al was a consummate opportunist, he liked creating them and exploiting them. This device, this object of Tollan ingenuity had given him such an opportunity and he had seized it gladly. There were no Goa'uld here, no rivals to his power or sycophants to attack him, at least only those he had brought and he had their measure already.  
Nerus was a fool, a fool of a fool, interested only in the pleasures of power. He ate, drank and made merry, though he also had something of a knack for technology which made him moderately useful. He already had what he desired and wasn't energetic or cunning enough to move against Ba'al, he was of little threat.

Persephone was another matter. Like Nerus she had great scientific knowledge, probably more than the obese Goa'uld, but she played it calmly and clinically. She had come to him from a minor lord Ba'al had subjugated and killed, at first she was a mere decoration lightening the air with her beauty. He had since discovered her mind was as sharp as any and enlisted her more directly in his efforts.

Her motives remained hidden, so too did her true depths of wit and cunning. He would be watching her closely.

Even as he played on these thoughts she entered his view, bowing her short blond hair in respect before awaiting his acknowledgement.

"Persephone." He smiled in greeting, hiding any other thoughts he had. "Is the survey complete?"

"It is." She replied. "The world is a perfect geological match for Dakarra, but with no civilization."

Ba'al nodded in acceptance. "What about the device?"

"I will have to investigate it in person if the rumours are true my lord, orbital scans are not sufficient."

"I will see to it." Ba'al replied. "You may remain here continuing your evaluation."

"As you wish." She betrayed no emotion. "The first groups are moving down now to establish a colony."

"Good, we will set up a base of operations then begin to expand." He approved.

"We have located many untapped deposits of Naquadah, sources exhausted on the original Dakarra." Persephone informed. "Enough to supply our expansion by itself for years to come."

"Excellent." He agreed. "We will investigate where the alien races of this galaxy live, then deal with them as appropriate."

"By your command."

He smiled at that. "Indeed."

"I shall continue my studies into local space my lord." Persephone bowed. "I have located many stars that correspond to our own reality, including Tollana, Earth, Chulak and others."

"On that subject, I may have something to help you." Ba'al announced. "One of my pilots found a probe. It has been disabled and brought on board."

The woman's eyes grew acutely aware. "A probe?"

"A cursory exam shows it is entirely alien, a design completely unknown to us."

"That is an intriguing discovery my lord."

"Very." Ba'al agreed. "I want you to investigate it, I don't like the idea of Nerus dropping chicken bones and grease on this device. Besides, I suspect you will do a better job."

"Your confidence is not misplaced my lord."

"See that it isn't." Ba'al returned. "On this, and many other things."

She bowed low, then left to attend to her duties while Ba'al considered his next move. There were aliens here, an un-encountered race. Whether they were allies, enemies or slaves was the next question he needed to answer. and in time he would.


	5. Chapter 5 One Small Step

**Chapter 5 **

**One Small Step**

A tear opened in the fabric of space and a spike of EM radiation as the _Odyssey_ dropped back to normal space. The bridge felt tense; tenser than Emerson would have liked (especially as marks had so kindly informed him that the Taelon mothership begun targeting the _Odyssey_) but a lot was riding on this first contact going smoothly; it seemed Carter's prediction of encountering a race more powerful than the Goa'uld may have just come true. And the last thing the SGC needed was a new enemy; especially one that could build ships as powerful as the monstrosity that even now dominated the forward window.

"What the hell is that?" Mitchell asked; pointing to something on the surface of the dark side of the moon that caught his attention. Carter, Daniel, Teal'c and Narim quickly moved to join him to see what had caught his attention. As the _Odyssey_ closed the distance the rest of the group was able to make out what had caught Mitchell's interest.

"It would appear the Taelons have constructed a facility on the surface of Earth's moon." Teal'c stated matter of factly.

"That's a bit of an understatement." Daniel replied in awe. The facility in question sprawled almost the entire dark sides of the moon like a lattice of violet and purple webs connected at various junction points that acted like tethers that rippled with energy; like a web that swayed in the wind. Energy pulsed from each point along the weblike structure adding an almost surreal aurora that was not lost on its audience.

"That's definitely not something you see every day." Mitchell said in appreciation. "Have you seen anything like this Narim?"

"I have not Colonel. I know of no race that could build something like this."

"Nor do I." Teal'c added.

"Countries on Earth working in a joint venture could probably build a facility similar to what we're seeing, but no where near as complex. As for other races that could...maybe the Ancients or the Asgard." Daniel said thoughtfully. "But something like _this_ just doesn't strike me as their style."

"Any reason why its pulsating like that Sam?" Mitchell inquired.

"They could be some form of energy conduits supplying the enormous power requirements a base like that must have, but without a detailed scan I wont know for sure."

"I'd like to hold off on that for the moment." Emerson spoke up causing heads to turn his way. "We don't know anything about the Taelons or why they have a presence on this Earth. I'd rather not do anything to provoke them till I know what they're capable of doing." All heads nodded in agreement. "Then on that note I take it Dr. Jackson that you'd like to be the one to head over to the Taelon Mothership?" It wasn't really a question.

"Yes." Daniel confirmed. "Judging by what we've seen they're obviously a very advanced people who could prove to be valuable allies. This could be the break we're looking for."

"Lets not get ahead of ourselves Dr. Jackson." Emerson cautioned as he leaned back in his seat. "First things first, we need to establish a peaceful dialogue that doesn't involve us getting shot down or taken prisoner." Emerson glanced at Marks's console. "Id also very much appreciate it if you could get then to stop targeting my ship."

"I'll do my best Colonel." Daniel smiled.

"I assume the rest of you will be tagging along?" Emerson asked referring to the rest of SG-1.

"Oh yeah." Mitchell answered enthusiastically followed by a nod from Carter followed by a slight bow from Teal'c."

"I would like to accompany you." Narim spoke up.

"What?" Mitchell asked in surprise.

"It is through the fault of the Tollan that we find ourselves in this situation. The least I could do is accompany you to try and help in some way." Carter looked to Mitchell who shrugged.

"Alright then. Join the party." Mitchell enthused.

"We've reached standard orbit sir." Lt. Womack stated from the pilots station.

"Marks any sign they've seen us?" Emerson asked referring to the planet below with a nod.

"Yes sir." Marks responded. "Reading heavy microwave emissions directed at us from the Continental United States and Europe. I'm also reading several satellites that appear to be realigning their orbits to get a better look at us. They've definitely seen us."

"Guess the Taelons called ahead and said they were bringing company." Mitchell pondered.

Carter checked the readouts on Marks display. "The scans appear to be consistent with deep space radar and other forms of sensor technology I recognize. If I had to venture a guess I'd say we're in late 20th century or early 21st century Earth sir."

Before Emerson or SG-1 could respond a curt voice interjected from the PA system.

"Colonel Emerson this is engineering."

Emerson tapped his armchair link. "Engineering, bridge what is it?"

"Sir we've...got a bit of a problem." Emerson met the eyes of SG-1 individually before responding. "What kind of problem?" Emerson asked with a sinking feeling, one reflected by SG-1.

**Taelon Mothership Lunar Obit**

**Earth.**

Above the lunar facility the Taelon Mothership orbited serenely with an ease of grace that belied its massive form. Aboard the mothership Da'an walked the corridors deep in thought. It had been a while since he had been aboard the homeship or more commonly referred by the humans as the Mothership. It was at times like this Da'an wished for the counsel of his protector and friend William Boone. The man had an uncanny way of seeing the truth in things beyond what was expected of most implants. To Da'an it seemed Boone had never lost touch with his human side, something that often happened when the motivational imperative of the CVI took root in their protectors. It was a breath of fresh air for Da'an who enjoyed Boone's counsel and his friendship. It would have been interesting to hear Boone's thoughts on this new development but sadly fate had other ideas. After his recent battle against Ha'gal at St. Michael's church Boone had been severely wounded; had it not been for advanced Taelon medical technology it was doubtful that Boone would have survived. Even though it had been nine hours since the battle Boone's situation was still precarious but his overall prognosis was hopeful. Quietly Da'an wished his protector and friend a full and quick recovery; Da'an as well as the Synod could use his unique insights. Abruptly Da'an was awakened from his reverie by a voice he recognized all too well coming from an adjacent corridor. Though eavesdropping was not typically a Taelon trait, Da'an had learned in his years among humans that such a trait was useful before announcing ones presence.,

"What is the status of our security arrangements agent Sandoval?" Zo'or demanded.

"I've stationed security at all major junctions and access ways Zo'or. In addition I've locked down all departments and facilities aboard the mothership classified level three and above. I assure you there will be no trouble Zo'or." Sandoval replied in the cool emotionless tone common to most implants.

"Very well agent Sandoval." Zo'or replied. "I leave the situation in your hands. Tell me, what of our other concern?"

Sandoval placed his hands behind his back as he spoke. "Boone's condition is stable for the moment; the doctors tell me they expect him to make a full recovery."

"I see." Zo'or replied sounding disappointed. "Commander Boone has been through quite an ordeal; it would be such a shame if anything were to happen to such a loyal and capable companion agent. Wouldn't you agree agent Sandoval?"

Sandoval clenched his jaw as his eyes widened slightly in surprise for only a moment. "I'm...not really sure I understand Zo'or."

"I believe you do agent Sandoval." Zo'or replied with a superior smile. "Tell me, does your motivational imperative allow you to question me?" Zo'or asked as he circled Sandoval like a predator sizing up its prey.

"It does not Zo'or. My motivational imperative compels me to place the Taelon agenda as my number one priority as well as to follow all orders that advance that agenda." Sandoval responded curtly.

"Then perhaps I have not made myself clear agent Sandoval. Since subtlety is wasted on you; I wish for you to take care of Commander Boone. Permanently."

For the briefest moment something flashed in Sandoval's eyes before just as quickly disappearing. "I understand Zo'or. I have the perfect man for the job. Tate." He replied simply.

"Who you utilize agent Sandoval is of no concern to me only that that my order is carried out. This unique situation provides the perfect distraction. Under normal circumstances I would see to this myself but recent events prevent me from doing so. I expect your man to utilize...discretion, agent Sandoval." Zo'or said with a pointed look.

"Of course Zo'or." Sandoval complied.

Da'an had heard enough and quietly slipped away before either Zo'or or Sandoval noticed him. It angered Da'an greatly that Zo'or would try something like this, but in hindsight Da'an should not have been surprised. Zo'or had taken it as a personal affront when Boone had sided with Da'an in reinstating him as the North American companion, the position Zo'or had managed to wrestle from him only to see it lost back to Da'an. That coupled with Boone's growing influence over the Synod was enough for Zo'or to see Boone as a threat to his agenda. Da'an shouldn't have been surprised in the least that his young wayward offspring would do everything in his power to eliminate that threat; he had just underestimated the means. From that moment Da'an vowed to keep a closer eye on Zo'or _and_ his projects.

Quietly slipping into an adjacent room Da'an sealed the entrance to prevent from being disturbed and with a wave of his hand activated the holo monitor. If he was to save his friend and protector he would need to act fast, and there was only one person he trusted enough for the job.

**Liberation Headquarters**

**300 ft Below St. Michael's Church.**

**New York, United States. Alternate Earth.**

The Headquarters of the Liberation movement was a beehive of activity and had been so for the past several hours. Ha'gal in the form of Sandoval had seduced and joined with Siobhan Beckette the UK companion protector. Fearing for Beckette's safety (and the headquarters security for that matter) Boone had hit on the idea of distracting Ha'gal long enough for Lilly to sneak around and move Beckette out of the line of fire while Boone tried to persuade Ha'gal of his honorable intentions. While Lilly moved Beckette underground Boone and Ha'gal traded fire back and forth before Boone was able to talk Ha'gal down. Just as it seemed Boone had been able to reach Ha'gal the NYPD stormed the Church. Thinking that he had been deceived Ha'gal turned his shaqarava's on Boone and fired at the same time Boone brought up his Skrill and fired. Boone's skrill blast had flown true hitting Ha'gal square, vaporizing him. At the same time the shaqarava blasts hit the stone pillar next to Boone. The resulting concussive wave and shrapnel hit Boone full force dropping him instantly with potentially fatal injuries. The NYPD was quick to evac Boone to the nearby COMTECH facility utilizing the new Taelon regeneration tanks. But the recent battle along with the heightened activity and scrutiny above them wasn't the reason for the Liberations apprehension, the main reason was Siobhan Beckette.

Even before the battle with Ha'gal Beckette believed she had stumbled onto a resistance facility, possibly the nerve center for resistance operations within North America. She could not have been more right. The facility below St. Michael's was the Command center for the _entire_ resistance movement coordinating anti-Taelon operations world wide. If for whatever reason the facility were compromised it would have damaged the resistance severely if not outright decapitating it. This was the reason for the heightened activity. With Beckette now secured in the facility (thus able to see and hear everything that went on around her) it was considered too dangerous to use...at least in the short term. So the order had come to evacuate the facility and purge the systems of relevant information pertaining to resistance members and current operations. With activity above ground returning to a semblance of normal the resistance had decided to evac now while they still had the chance.

"Everyone has been evacuated I'm heading back down." Lilly Marquette reported into her global. Lilly a veteran of the United States Marine Corp was a top pilot and became one of the first humans to work with the Taelons after they established a presence on Earth. Lilly had been responsible for the shuttle interface program allowing human pilots to utilize Taelon shuttles. Standing 5ft 6in with brown hair she was considered reasonably attractive with a tough as nails personality, she was also a key figure in the resistance. Early on in her involvement with the Taelons Lilly began to doubt Taelon benevolence and continuously heard rumors of Taelon experiments on unwitting humans. At first she doubted the claims but over time grew increasingly convinced that the Taelon agenda on Earth wasn't so peaceful. She met and formed a working relationship with Jonathon Doors the head of Doors Enterprises. He too had grown wary of the Taelon presence on Earth and before long Lilly Marquette, Jonathan Doors and Dr. Joyce Belman had been among the first members of the 'Resistance'.

Lilly was just about to slap her global closed when she received another call; this one from Da'an. Suppressing a sigh of frustration at the bad timing Lilly opened the link and took Da'ans call.

"Captain Marquette?" Da'an said by way of greeting.

"Yes Da'an what can I do for you?" Lilly asked distractedly.

"Captain Marquette I fear Commander Boone may be in grave danger." Da'an said wasting little time on pleasantries. His statement was more than enough to get Lilly's full attention.

"Danger? How? The doctors at COMTECH said he was stable." Lilly responded.

"Indeed he is, but the source of his danger does not lie with his condition, but rather from an outside source that wishes to use his current vulnerability to their advantage."

"Who? Surely not the resistance, COMTECH has a virtual army of security; it would be suicide to make an attempt on Boone there."

"Unless Captain, his enemy in question had authorized access to the facility." Da'an informed her.

Lilly may not have had the enhanced intelligence of an implant but her mind pieced it together almost immediately. "Zo'or."

Da'an bowed his head in acknowledgment. "Zo'or, by means of agent Sandoval. Agent Sandoval is sending someone called Tate to deal with Boone."

"Tate? He's become Sandoval's defacto right hand man. He's a psychopath!" Lilly said in disgust.

That is why you must act quickly Captain Marquette. Sandoval would not have sent such a man unless he intended to finish what Ha'gal started." Da'an confirmed.

"How much time do I have?" Lilly asked.

"Not long I fear. I will do what I can to stall Agent Sandoval, inquiring about security aboard the Mothership for high level talks that are to take place within the hour. That will give you some time, but not much."

"Who's coming to the Mothership? I was never briefed about a diplomatic mission there."

"All will be explained later Captain Marquette of that I promise you, but for now you must get Boone to the Embassy as fast as possible. He will be safe there." Da'an instructed.

"That's going to be a problem Da'an. I cant have Boone moved unless I have written authorization from either you or Sandoval and I cant ask Sandoval without tipping my hand." Lilly pointed out.

"Unfortunately I do not have the time to issue the order myself. Instead; state that this is a personal request from me. I have made such requests in the past so it will not seem out of place to do so again." Da'an said.

"I'll do what I can Da'an." Lilly said with conviction.

"Please make haste Captain Marquette. Commander Boone's time grows short; he is depending on you, as I am." Da'an said in parting as the screen went black. Lilly slapped her global closed as her mind raced. One on hand she was responsible for Siobhan Beckette and her unborn child but on the other hand she was compelled by her loyalty to Boone. _What do I do_? Lilly asked herself. She felt so helpless at the moment, feeling that things were moving too quickly for her to deal with and spiraling out of control. Taking a deep breath to focus her thoughts an idea slowly took shape in her mind, one that she would need Augurs help with. With her mind now set firmly to a course of action Lilly hurried into resistance headquarters.

"It was conceived and born in nine hours it cant possibly be human!" The powerful voice of Jonathon Doors echoed in the near empty facility. Doors a middle age man in his late 60s gave the appearance of a man used to power. and he was. He was the former owner of the multibillion dollar Doors Enterprises a very successful mega corporation. Doors Enterprises had been one of the first mega corporations that had worked with the Taelons on numerous 'co-ventures' utilizing the best of both human and Taelon technology to enhance the quality of life on Earth. Doors net worth alone was estimated at 30 Billion dollars making him one of the richest men in the world. Now he was utilizing that wealth to fund the resistance in its pan global efforts to thwart the Taelon agenda, whatever that may be.

"Jonathan we have a problem." Lilly whispered quietly out of earshot of Beckette.

"We have a problem right here _captain_." Doors responded succinctly putting emphasis on her rank.

"Its Boone, Zo'or is going to have him eliminated."

"Makes sense. Zo'or see's Boone's influence as a threat to his agenda, it was only a matter of time before he tried to get Boone out of the way. I'm actually surprised its taken him this long to do it." Doors said thoughtfully.

"Damnit Jonathan Boone needs us!" Lilly hissed.

"Yes he does, but _we_ cant help him right now captain. Only you can, and I need you here for the moment, your the only one keeping Beckette calm."

The object of the group's collective attention was the pained moaning form of Siobhan Beckette lying on a gurney and to the surprise of everyone confirmed to be pregnant.

"She's about to have a baby Jonathan I don't think she's going anywhere!" Lilly replied hotly

"Well at least you wont have to worry about morning sickness." Augur quipped. Doors' annoyed look wiped the smile off his face.

"Her CVI is breaking down." Lilly moved next to Beckette as she continued to moan in pain.

"Well it must have overloaded with her joining with the alien." Dr. Melinda Parks speculated.

"Can you give her something for the pain?" Lilly asked.

"No I cant it may harm the baby." Parks explained

"NOOOOO! No!" Beckette nearly panicked. "Please don't hurt the baby I'll be alright! Please!" she pleaded between clenched teeth.

"Its Ok, Its alright, we are not going to harm your baby. I promise." Lilly insisted with sincerity, but internally she was in turmoil as part of her wanted to stay and the other wanted to bolt out the door to help Boone.

"I know everything, the joining. Ha'gel showed me everything!" Beckette panted. Lilly looked helplessly to Parks and Doors; who was watching the unfolding events with great interest.

"Ok now this is it." Parks spoke up to get Beckette's attention. "When I give you the word I want you to push but not before." Lilly and Beckette braced themselves and prepared for the worst.

"Its going to be okay." Lilly said trying to be as comforting as possible.

"Ok now push as hard as you can!" Dr. Parks ordered. And Beckette did just that.

"Push! That's it just keep pushing." Parks insisted.

"You see your ok, your going to be ok I promise you that." Lilly smiled holding Beckette's hand.

"What is it?" Doors demanded as the baby started to crown.

"Good girl." Lilly encouraged Beckette who was still pushing and gasping in pain. "Your going to be just fine."

"What the hell is it?" Doors grumbled moving closer for a better look.

"Does Rosemary's baby ring a bell?" Augur replied absently. He too was focused on the spectacle.

"OHHHHH AHHHHH!" Beckette screamed as she pushed one last time. Her cries were soon followed by the unmistakable wailing of an infant. Dr. Parks carefully handled the baby and inspected him.

"Its a boy!" She smiled. "A lovely little-"

"-Human." Doors said in a voice that would have made the weather in Antarctica seem warm and pleasant.

"Boy." Parks finished ignoring Doors' comment. "Ahh look at you. Yes! ohh there there." Parks cooed as she set the baby down.

"Liam." Siobhan said weakly. "Please, you must take care of him!" She pleaded in her thick Irish accent, directing her gaze to Lilly. "Promise me!" Lilly looked helplessly to Dr. Parks and then Augur.

"I don't think that's necessary because your going to be just fine." Lilly countered rising to leave, but Beckette wouldn't allow it.

"No! Promise me; no matter what...that no matter what happens that you'll take care of Liam." Siobhan gripped Lilly's hand like a vice. "Promise me!"

Lilly was stunned by the passion in her voice and couldn't find it in herself to say no. "I promise."

"No matter...No...matter...what!" Beckette said as she rose on her elbows staring daggers at Jonathan Doors.

"No matter what?" Augur said with a confused look at Doors. He sure hoped Beckette wasn't implying what he thought she was implying. Doors didn't answer but simply held Beckette's stare until she collapsed from exhaustion on her bed and was soon unconscious.

"Well it looks like we wont have to worry about finding a name for you kid." Augur said as one of the nurses walked by with the baby in her hands. "Looks like you mother already has."

"To hell with the name I want to know what she meant by 'no matter what'." Doors countered.

"Guess she was referring to your charming personality Jonathan." Augur joked, receiving an icy glare from Doors in the process.

Lilly pulled Augur aside and spoke urgently. "I've got to get to my shuttle and get to COMTECH _now_! Sandoval's men are going to try and finish Boone off."

"What do you need from me?" Augur asked.

"I need you to hack into the FBI mainframe, and erase Tate's record of being with the Bureau. Hopefully they wont grant him access."

"I'll get on it, but the Bureau has recently updated their network security, its going to take me some time to get what you need and I can't guarantee you It'll be ready by the time you get to COMTECH. Usually you guys give me a little more time before asking for something like this." Augur said, as he moved to the nearest terminal and went to work.

"I'll take what I can get Augur. Thank you." Lilly said as she watched a nurse pick Liam up to move him closer to his mother. As the nurse put Liam down to examine him more closely she gasped and stepped back quickly. The entire room watched in shock as a white aura encompassed the boy as he started growing and growing until he stopped. Judging by his current size he now looked to be about three maybe four years of age.

"Liam. My name is Liam." the child spoke. The occupants of the room stared in shock.

**USS Odyssey **

**Alternate Earth Orbit**

"Well that's not good." the voice of Daniel Jackson reverberated throughout the now silent engineering. Every pair of eyes in the room staring at the same thing with growing horror.

"It would seem O'Neill was indeed correct; our infamous bad luck with alien technology has struck again." Teal'c deadpanned.

"Ya think?" Mitchell retorted.

The object of their dread was the prototype QSDD which was now sparking from several locations along its body and with each new spark the members of SG-1 flinched as if physically affected by the jolts.

"Sam can you fix it?" Mitchell asked hopefully.

"I wouldn't even know where to begin." Carter replied as she knelt down to examine the device. "But I can tell you its pretty much fried."

"Director?" Mitchell directed his gaze.

"I will do what I can but Colonel Carter is correct. The strain of moving a ship this large through the dimensional barrier was just too much for the drive to take."

"So we're stuck here?" Mitchell asked.

"For the time being yes." Orthan confirmed.

"I thought you guys had compensated so something like this wouldn't happen? Daniel asked.

"So did I Doctor Jackson, I am still unsure where the problem originated from." Orthan answered.

"Readings indicate there was a massive power surge just after reentry Director." Talia spoke up from her station. "The drive was doing remarkably well until that point."

"That's all we need right now." Mitchell groaned rubbing his temples in the process.

"Indeed." Teal'c intoned. "Could the Taelons not help with the repair of the device? They appear to be a highly advanced race on the same level as the Ancients." Teal'c observed.

"Id rather not jump the gun just yet and bring this to their attention." Daniel admitted. "Not till we've established a friendly rapport. If they prove to be hostile we definitely don't want to let them know we're alone and vulnerable."

"You know I was thinking, do we have any spare parts for this thing?" Mitchell asked suddenly. "You guys did bring some...right?"

"We did Colonel Mitchell." Orthan replied as he studied the still smoking drive. "It should not be too difficult to replace the damaged components. The drive should be operational by the time you return from your meeting with the Taelons."

"While we're on that subject. We've got fifteen minutes left. I suggest you head down to the port launch bay immediately. We have a cargo ship standing by." Emerson stated.

"Would the Puddle Jumper not be prudent Colonel Emerson?" Teal'c asked.

"Normally it would be, but if the Taelons turn out to be hostile I'd rather not hand over our only jumper. I'm sorry to say but a cargo ship is far more preferable in this situation, and more expendable. Besides they're going to want evidence that the Goa'uld are still around and theres nothing like a cargo ship crammed with Goa'uld technology to prove that point." The members of SG-1 nodded in agreement. "On that note then make sure to keep your locator beacons on hand in case things get hot."

"Understood sir." Mitchell said in compliance as SG-1 left leaving Emerson and the Tollan science team behind to dwell on this new problem.

"So Daniel you got any idea of what we're going to say to these Taelons when we arrive on that big honking mothership of theirs?" Mitchell asked as the team plus Narim moved through the ships busy corridors.

"Well I was thinking complete honesty would be the best approach in this situation. We need to gain their trust if we're to proceed any further. Somehow I doubt the Taelons are just going to let us leave on our mission without a full explanation; whether we like it or not we have to deal with them before we proceed."

"It'll also give me a chance to get an idea of just how advanced they really are." Carter chirped in. "If its possible I'd like to get a good look at their FTL drives and power systems."

"Cool." Mitchell smiled. "I'm sure you'll figure it out in no time Sam."

The team arrived in the port launch bay to find technicians and ground crews rummaging through the ship with diagnostic equipment completing their final checks. After giving SG-1 the thumbs up they quickly secured their equipment and departed the bay. SG-1 boarded the Tel'tac and stowed their gear as Teal'c took the pilots chair. Noticeably absent were the P-90s and side arms SG-1 usually took when going off-world, it was quickly decided that showing up armed was probably not going to turn out well. Instead the only defense the team had were the locator beacons the team kept hidden just in case the _Odyssey_ ever needed to beam them back in a hurry.

"Beacons check?" Mitchell asked after confirming his was good. He received a series of nods from the group. "Then lets do this." Mitchell enthused.

The shutter rose slightly only inches from the deck and moved slowly between the rows of F-302s on either side of the bay before finally facing the airlock doors. A sudden strobing yellow light followed by alarm klaxons blared in the bay announcing to any stragglers to clear the flight deck immediately as the airlock doors cycled open. It was always safer to error on the side of caution, and even though the atmospheric shield maintained life-support in the bay no one wanted to run the risk of being present should it fail.

The shuttle inched forward until it breached the shield then picked up speed, once clear of the _Odyssey_ Teal'c angled the shuttle until he came on an intercept vector with the mothership. As the Tel'tac closed the distance a slight shudder reverberated through the hull.

"What was that?" Mitchell asked slightly wary.

"I am unsure." Teal'c spoke up as he worked the controls. "But I no longer have control of the cargo ship." Teal'c brought up the HUD which showed a tightly focused beam of energy emanating from the Mothership and encasing the Tel'tac.

Before anyone could respond a curt voice responded from the communications system. "Unknown shuttle do not be alarmed. We have placed your ship in a focused gravitational beam. Please do not attempt to break free as we guide you into our shuttle bay."

"They have tractor beams?" Mitchell smiled. "Cool."

"Thanks for the warning." Daniel replied sardonically. "Well, might as well sit back and enjoy the ride."

The Taelon tractor beam drew the Tel'tac efficiently into what was obviously the hanger bay on the massive mothership.

Everyone on the Tel'tac was speechless as they took in the sight around them. The bay was gigantic. Hundreds of small bug-like shuttlecraft sat on pedestals around the giant oval shaped room. Dozens of large craft were docked up to some of the larger pedestals that they could see, but they couldn't by far see the whole room. The bigger vessels were obviously attack ships of some kind and appeared to be roughly the same size as the _Odyssey_ itself.

"Holy crap!" Mitchell gasped.

"Wow!" Daniel breathed.

"Chel'nak." Teal'c agreed.

Is there any way to determine how large this bay is?" Narim spoke up for the first time since they left the _Odyssey_.

"Several hundred meters easily." Carter responded with a shrug as she studied the HUD over Teal'c's shoulder. "Its easily capable of holding several 304s with _plenty_ of space to spare. This thing puts Wraith Hiveships to shame."

"Who?" Narim asked puzzled.

"No one we need to be worried about right now." Daniel directed the conversation away from Carters slip up. "It looks like we've reached out destination." Daniel pointed to a slight raised pedestal with a group of armed security forces and an Asian man in a well tailored suite at the head.

"Well kids." Mitchell enthused. "Lets go make some friends."

Agent Ronald Sandoval watched dispassionately as the strange triangular ship breached the atmospheric shield of the Shuttle bay and slowly came to a stop at the platform in front of him. The ship seemed advanced, much more advanced than anything of human construction he had ever witnessed which for the briefest of moments inspired something akin to hope, but just as quickly even before he could question why he felt that brief glimmer of hope he squashed it. His duties were to the Taelons first and foremost and anything else was a distraction from that focus. With a nod to several nearby 'Volunteers' the rest of the team quickly took up flanking positions along the shuttle but kept their weapons at port arms. After a brief moment the shuttle doors on the left hand side of the ship parted and a figure stepped through. He was a relatively tall man, Caucasian in appearance and wore a set of eye glasses. He had a sense of dignity and strength of a man who had seen much and had survived it.

Sandoval took note of him immediately.

The next person out was another tall Caucasian man of about the same height and looked vaguely like his counterpart, almost as if they were related, Sandoval quickly eyed the rank of a Lt. Colonel on his uniform which made him raise an eyebrow slightly, but he refrained form commenting on it. All questions, one way or another would be answered soon enough. The next person out was a rather attractive blond who also wore the rank of Lt. Colonel, she seemed to scan the bay and the nearby corridors with a practiced eye that missed little. The next person out was a tall African American male with a huge build and an impassive expression on his face with a strange gold tattoo on his forehead. Again Sandoval's curiosity had been perked and again he got it under control. Finally a fifth member exited the vehicle, unlike the others who wore olive drap uniforms and black flack vests this man wore a dark grey jump suite, simple yet surprisingly elegant. He was of average build and height and Caucasian in appearance with just a hint of Mediterranean features. As the group gathered Sandoval was quickly able to pick up on the silent communication between the main four of the group as they studied the enormous bay of the Mothership, from all appearances they were a tight nit team and they were obviously nervous but kept it under remarkable control. Sandoval decided the best way to break the tension was to hurry up and get the formalities out of the way. Stepping up slowly and drawing the attention of his audience Sandoval placed his hands behind his back while at the same time felt the comforting presence of 'Raven' his skrill on his right forearm ready to fire at a moments notice, just in case.

"I am agent Ronald Sandoval; FBI attaché to the Taelon delegation, welcome to the Mothership."

The second of the group stepped forward and spoke up "Lt. Colonel Cameron Mitchell Stargate Command attached to the battlecruiser _Odyssey_." Mitchell motioned to his companions behind him. "This is Dr. Daniel Jackson, Lt. Colonel Samantha Cater, Teal'c and Narim."

"A pleasure." Sandoval replied succinctly. " The Synod apologizes for any misunderstandings from our initial first contact. It is their hope that any misunderstandings and questions we both have for each other will be answered in short order so that a peaceful dialogue can take place."

Daniel predictably was the one to respond. "We accept the apology of the Synod agent Sandoval, no harm has been done. In fact if the roles were reversed we probably would have done the same. We too are eager to open a peaceful dialogue with the Taelons."

"Before we can begin I'm afraid I must ask that my staff have access to your ship. Anything unknown aboard the mothership no matter how remote is to be given a full detailed inspection to ensure there is no threat to the Taelons."

The four exchanged glances for a moment before Mitchell nodded his accent. "Of course agent Sandoval we anticipated that might be the case." Daniel said in his best diplomatic voice.

"I expect it back before midnight." Mitchell added lightly. Daniel repressed a smile. A comment like that was something he would have expected from Jack.

Sandoval didn't rise to the comment but turned and nodded to another small group of technicians who entered the ship with obvious scanner and diagnostic equipment.

"If you will follow me please." Sandoval said plainly.

"After you agent Sandoval." Mitchell motioned as the group fell in behind the FBI agent.

"Agent Sandoval I have some questions." Daniel spoke up moving to the forefront until he was next to Sandoval.

"Doctor Jackson I assure you that all questions will be answered to everyone's satisfaction." Sandoval said succinctly. Daniel and Mitchell briefly traded a look, both of them wondering if there was some sort of double meaning to those words. Judging by the slightly menacing vibe they were picking up from agent Sandoval both men quickly decided he was not someone to cross lightly.

"Of course agent Sandoval. But I think its only fair that a little back ground information on the Taelons is prudent in this first contact situation. Which this is." Daniel explained. Sandoval frowned slightly in consideration before relenting.

"Very well Dr. Jackson. On Earth the Taelons are often referred to as the Companions. They arrived nearly four years ago and made peaceful contact with humanity. Since their arrival they have established diplomatic relations with practically every nation and important region on Earth as well as helped humanity with some of its most pressing problems." Sandoval explained.

"In what way?" Carter inquired, her curiosity now officially perked.

"Ending global hunger for one; The Taelons have used their advanced technology to help Earth's farmers to radically increase crop yields. Disease has been eliminated as well; Thanks to Taelon medical science most diseases and physical ailments are now easily curable, with certain exceptions of course. Climate change and global warming have been reversed-"

"Wait a minute your saying the Taelons have reversed the effects of climate change?" Carter asked in clear surprise.

"That's exactly what I'm saying Colonel Carter." Sandoval replied matter of factly.

"The Taelons have done this in only four Earth years?" Narim asked also clearly surprised.

"Actually most of it was done in the first two years."

"Amazing." Narim praised. "On Tollana we never had the ability to manipulate the climate on such a scale. The Taelons must truly be an advanced race."

"I'm starting to get an idea how advanced." Carter chipped in distractedly as she examined the corridor more closely with something akin to awe. "These walls seem almost organic in appearance."

"That's because they are." Sandoval explained. "Taelon technology is based off an organic substance called bioslury. Combined with core energy it forms the basis of Taelon technology."

"Organic ships?" Carter asked with raised eyebrows. The SGC knew of only one other race that used organic ships.

"Bio-energic ships to be more precise but essentially yes."

"And they've shared this with Earth?" Mitchell questioned.

"Much of it yes." Sandoval answered. "And all they have asked for in return is our friendship." Sandoval informed. The members of SG-1 traded looks and frowned, something about that statement just didn't quite fit. Why would such an advanced race like the Taelons help Earth with some of its biggest problems and ask for nothing in return? Not that it seemed Earth had anything of value to offer the Taelons, or so it seemed at first glance. SG-1 had learned the hard way that no race was ever this generous with their technology nor this benevolent. And even though the Asgard set the standard for what an enlighten race should be; kindness and generosity only went so far. From agent Sandoval's explanation the Taelons had eradicated most of Earths problems and had asked for nothing in return, which either made them a very unique race, or there was something more going on here. Ultimately the group silently decided to file that one away for future consideration as they arrived at their destination; a blue wall that seamlessly opened to reveal a rather spacious conference room which was already occupied by three Taelons. As SG-1 took up positions around a center table it felt as if the tension had increased by several notches as each side eyed the other sizing them up. Finally one of the Taelons spoke up to begin the proceedings.

"Sinuai Euhura. I greet you in my native tongue." Da'an began. "Welcome aboard the Mothership. I am Da'an the Taelon ambassador to North America." Turning and motioning to the other two Taelons in the room. "May I present Quo'on leader of the Taelon synod and Zo'or the Taelon ambassador to the United Nations."

"Its a pleasure to meet you all. I'm Doctor Daniel Jackson." Daniel said in his best diplomatic voice. "May I present Lt. Colonel Cameron Mitchell, Lt. Colonel Samantha Carter, Teal'c of the Free Jaffa Nation and Narim representative of the planet Tollana."

"It is an honor to meet you all." Da'an replied with a slight bow of his head.

after the brief exchange of pleasantries Quo'on motioned for everyone to take their seats. "First I would like to apologize again for our initial wariness upon your arrival, however the means by which you arrived is unknown to us and we feared the worst."

"Its quite all right Quo'on. We understand perfectly the need to take precautions. We accept your apology." Daniel said on behalf of the group.

"So where do we begin?" Mitchell asked as everyone took their seats and the real dialogue began.

"The truth obviously Colonel Mitchell." Zo'or answered tightly.

"Of course. What do you want to know?"

"For starters where you really come from." Zo'or spoke up again. "And why you are really here."

"As I mentioned earlier Zo'or we are called the Tau'ri." Daniel answered. "But from where we come from that name has certain significance."

"To what significance does it imply Dr. Jackson?" Da'an asked with genuine curiosity.

"It basically means humans of the first world...humans of Earth." Daniel answered. "It was the name given to us by the Goa'uld, in defiance we took it and made it our own."

"How is this possible?" Quo'on asked. "We have been on Earth for nearly four years and we have heard nothing of an ongoing war with the Goa'uld nor have we heard of any nation on your planet with the capability to build ships such as the one you posses. The governments of your world would have disclosed all of this to us long ago."

"Well...we're not from this Earth." Daniel did his best to answer. "Its a little hard to explain."

"Then I suggest Dr. Jackson that you try your best." Zo'or said in a slightly menacing tone. Daniel's only response to Zo'ors challenge was to raise his eyebrows.

"Oh no he's telling the truth. We come from an alternate universe or... something, and I can tell you we've never heard of the Taelons." Mitchell said.

"Impossible!" Zo'or snapped.

"Zo'or." Da'an began in a slight condescending tone. "Perhaps we should allow our guests to explain their actions without interruption. It does not serve Taelon interests to badger our guests before they can adequately explain themselves."

Zo'or seemed ready to say something but Quo'on added his thoughts. "I too agree with Da'an's sentiments, our guests have done nothing yet to warrant such an interrogation. I would like to hear what they have to say."

Zo'or said nothing but bowed his head in submission.

"Sooooo." Mitchell breathed to ease the tension. "Where were we?"

"Perhaps it is best to start at the beginning." Da'an offered.

"I too would like to hear the story of your origins and the nature of your conflict with the Goa'uld." Quo'on said with a wave of his hand. "Please continue."

The members of SG-1 shared a smile between them and with a slight wave of nostalgia washing over him Daniel began their tale. "It all began thousands of years ago..."

**COMTECH Facility**

**New York United States **

**Alternate Earth.**

Lilly arrived at the COMTECH facility later than she had intended; with Beckette giving birth to a beautiful baby boy Lilly felt compelled to stay by her side and see things through to the end. It also unnerved her of Beckette's insistence that she take care of Liam 'no matter what'. That statement given with such strong emotion from an implant rattled her more than she cared to admit. Sure Jonathan could be an ass. Ok he was a serious asshole, but to kill an innocent child? No. Despite his outward harshness and gruff behavior Jonathan Doors was not the kind of person to kill a newborn child, but there was still a part of Lilly that was unnerved enough to not want to leave the kid alone with Doors for too long. Doors may not kill the kid, but what else would he do with an alien child? Tests were almost a certainty, followed by physical examinations and study of his anatomy, physiology and anything else Doors would want to know about a Human/Kimera hybrid.

As Lilly walked through the glass entrance the butterflies in her stomach went into overdrive and she knew she'd have to hurry. Though her loyalty and devotion to Boone were unquestioned (and in those moments when she was completely honest with herself she knew her feelings went beyond professional.) she would have to hurry for both Liam's and Boone's sake. Approaching the front desk with the security guard looking up Lilly produced her ID badge and allowed it to be run through the system.

"I'm Captain Lilly Marquette I'm here to transfer Commander Boone to the Taelon embassy on orders from Da'an."

After verify that she was who she claimed to be the guard grabbed his clip board and began to thumb through the paperwork. "I'm sorry captain theres nothing here on moving Commander Boone anytime soon."

"Theres been a change of plans, it was actually quite sudden, but Da'an insisted that Boone be moved immediately. I was under the impression that COMTECH had been informed of those changes." Lilly lied but trying to sound apologetic.

"Well as you can see captain we haven't." The guard said with a hint of irritation.

"I'm sorry about that, But Da'an was quite clear about moving Commander Boone to the Embassy and he wants it done like yesterday."

"Well I'm afraid we cant move him. Not without an official order signed by either Da'an or agent Sandoval."

"But I'm here at Da'ans request." Lilly protested.

"But you don't have an official order to have him moved. I'm sorry captain but I cant comply with your request."

"You listen to me." Lilly leaned forward her features contorted in anger. " Da'an left strict instructions for me to move Commander Boone to the Embassy. Now I'd be happy to call him up right now and have him verify that little fact for you, but he's been called away to some high level talks and he can't be reached. It would be a real pity if COMTECH didn't honor Da'ans request, I mean he might even begin to question the value of his relationship with your facility if you see fit to deny his request."

The guard's only response was to raise his eyebrows in surprise at the rather blatant attempt at intimidation. He frowned in consideration for a few moments before sighing. "Fine, go ahead and take him Captain Marquette, but in the future make sure to have a legitimate order signed by Da'an or Agent Sandoval."

Lilly smiled in relief. "I'll make sure to do that." The guard buzzed Lilly past the secure doors leading into the facility as she was escorted by a nurse who had been monitoring Boone since his arrival more than nine hours ago."

"I don't like this." The nurse huffed. "His wounds are too extensive for him to be moved right now. It could kill him."

"To be honest with you I'm not to crazy about it either." Lilly related as she followed the nurse through the complex." But Da'an made his intentions clear."

They entered the room where Boone's tank was being held and Lilly's heart went into freefall as she looked at him. He looked horrible; his wounds which he had sustained only hours before had only just started to heal; and doubt was now rearing its ugly head as Lilly truly considered the ramifications of what Da'an was asking.

"I told you." The nurse said sympathetically after catching the look on Lilly's face. "He cant be moved, not yet."

"We have no choice. Please get him out, now." Lilly said weakly. It looked as if the nurse would argue the point further but did not instead she nodded and left.

"I hope you know what your doing." She said in parting.

"So do I." Lilly whispered.

At the entrance to the facility the security guard looked up once again as a trio of men walked in. All wearing well tailored suites that just screamed government employees. The one obviously in charge walked forward confidently with a cocky expression on his face as he produced his badge.

"I'm agent Ed Tate with the FBI I'm here to check on the status of Commander William Boone."

"You could have called for that." The guard grunted. "We've been reporting on his status hourly since he arrived."

"We want to go back there and see for ourselves." Tate insisted. "We also have orders to have him moved." Tate produced a hand written order from his coat pocket.

"You'd be the second person today." The guard admitted. Tate's smile evaporated instantly. "Someone else is here?"

"Yeah, a Captain Lilly Marquette just came in a few minutes ago. She insisted that Commander Boone be moved immediately to the Embassy. Claimed it was a personal request from Da'an if you could believe it." The guard looked over the order for a moment before working to verify it.

"You mind hurrying that up?" Tate asked.

"Yeah, I do mind." The guard responded then went back to work.

"Boone? Boone wake up." Lilly pleaded. "Please Will wake up!"

Boone coughed hoarsely before squinting his eyes open. "I'm awake Lilly I'm awake." He smiled weakly wiping the regen fluid away from his eyes. "Thanks for getting me out of there. I really hate that thing."

"Well that tank may have saved your life. It was accelerating the healing process, you were... pretty bad, still are."

"Yeah, I recall." Boone related as the CVI enhanced memory intrusion of the St. Michael's battle with Ha'gal flooded his mind. "So, why did you pull me out?"

"Da'an thinks Zo'or is going to have you eliminated. He sent for me to get you to the Embassy where you could heal safely under the watchful eye of your own staff."

"Zo'or." Boone groaned. "I should have figured he'd try something like this." Boone tried to sit up but winced in pain and collapsed back on his gurney. "Lilly I don't think I'm going to be much good to you. I can. I...I can barely move." Boone gasped, and it took Lilly only a moment to realize that he was deathly pale and panting heavily. It only served to reaffirm her resolve, She would not loose him, not like this, not now, not when she was starting to... She squashed those thoughts and focused on the job at hand. Movement on a nearby monitor suddenly caught her attention as she noticed three men in suites were following the same nurse that led her here. She couldn't make out much detail but something told her they were Sandoval's men. It seemed Augur wasn't fast enough in getting Tate erased from the system, she would have to improvise and act fast if her plan was to succeed.

"I brought the shuttle; its out back, all we gotta do is slip you past Sandoval's goon squad and we can be at the Embassy in no time."

"Any bright ideas?" Boone smiled weakly.

"Yeah. I've got an idea." She moved a wheelchair close to the gurney and smiled. "Up for a little hide and seek?"

Tate opened the door and strode confidently into the room where Boone was being held and was quick to note the empty tank.

"How long ago did you say you removed him?" Tate asked not taking his eye off the tank.

"Couldn't have been more than ten minutes ago." The nurse answered. "Why?"

Tate ignored her and turned to his two compatriots. "They're still here, spread out and find them." Both men nodded their compliance and moved off.

"What's going on? What are you doing?" The nurse asked with growing suspicion.

"Official FBI business." Tate said in irritation. "Now if you don't mind, get out of my way." He brushed past the stunned nurse with a predatory smile leaving her alone in the room to hunt for his prey.

Once she thought she was in the clear Lilly peeked her head out of the nearby adjacent office and seeing that Tate and his men were now gone she opened the door and wheeled Boone out.

"That has got to be one of the most unoriginal ideas I have ever seen, I mean how did they not think to look in the very next room?" Boone quipped in disbelief.

"Saved your butt didn't it?" Lilly fired back as she scanned the room; her right hand still gripping the stock of her sidearm.

"I'll be considerably impressed when we make it out of here." Boone retorted in good humor despite the situation.

"What are you two doing?" The nurse rushed over to them. "What's going on?"

"Well uhh...uhhh. Ok. Look, those three guys who came after us?" Lilly emphasized Tate and his group getting a nod from the nurse. "Well they're not here to help us and we need to find a way out back to my shuttle. Can you help us?" Lilly asked.

"Well yes. I can take you to the left wing emergency entrance. Its where we received our critical cases like Commander Boone."

"They'll be sure to have that covered." Boone considered.

"No." The nurse insisted. "COMTECH security prevents unauthorized personnel from that area so as not to get in the way when we receive critical patients."

"They probably wont let us through either." Lilly said.

"No they wont. Unless I escort you."

"Why would you help us?" Lilly asked.

"Because I don't like that Tate guy, he creeps me out. Something about him unnerves me and I don't think he has your best interests at heart. If you ask me I think he could be one of those lunatic resistance guys. You've become pretty famous Commander Boone I wouldn't want to see them hurt you." She answered honestly. Lilly and Boone shared a look before Boone nodded.

"Ok lead the way, but before you do I need you to do something." Lilly insisted, though now she found the irony of her plan amusing. She pulled out her global and made a call.

"Lilly?" Augur answered immediately.

"Tell me its done Augur?" Lilly asked.

"Do you even have to ask?" Augur responded in mock indignation.

"Augur your the best. But I need you to do something else for me."

"What do you need?"

"Tate and his buddies are already here."

"They must have gotten there before I finished." Augur speculated sounding almost irked at this wrinkle in his otherwise flawless performance.

"Doesn't matter now Augur, I need you to place a call to COMTECH security about possible resistance members posing as FBI agents to get at Boone."

"I like it!" Augur laughed. "I do so love the irony!"

"Security should detain them, if only briefly. It'll give me the time needed to get Boone out. Hurry Augur I'm not sure how much longer he can take this."

"Consider it done." Augur signed off. Lilly snapped her global closed and turned to the nurse. "I also need you to place a call to security. An anomomous call they may dismiss, but if that were to coincide with a call from someone on staff, someone they trust I'm hoping it should be enough."

Tate was growing more and more frustrated with each passing minute as he and his men combed the COMTECH facility. He was certain they were still here, security had been informed to notify him or his men if they had made it to an exit. So far no one had informed him of anything which meant they were still here. Tate considered calling security and asking for their aid in locating Boone and Marquette when he spotted the security guard from the door.

"Hey, look uhh...pal. We can't seem to find them so I'm going to need you and your security staff to help us locate them."

"Agent Tate if you'll come with me please."

"What's this about?" Tate asked in confusion. quickly Tate noticed another security guard moving up behind him and another coming up behind the first guard. Alarm bells were ringing in Tates head and he turned his full attention on the guard in front of him. "What the hell is going on!?" His answer came when the security guard drew his side arm while the guard behind him slammed him against the wall near a window while wrestling his hands behind his back.

"Agent Tate. If that really is your name. One of our nurses reported strange activity by you and your men. We decided to double check your names against the authorized personnel list. Captain Marquette is on the list while you are not."

"But I'm with the FBI! I work for agent Sandoval and he's the one who sent me!" Tate protested as the guard cuffed his wrists."

"Yeah about that. It seems we cant seem to get in touch with Agent Sandoval at the moment to verify that and there is no record of you or your friends at the FBI, who by the way are already in custody. We here at COMTECH take the security of our patients very seriously and the last thing we want to do is jeopardize our relationship with the Taelons." Motioning to his partner. "Oh and one last thing, don't ever call me pal. Take him." The other guard nodded but just as he was about to move his captive Tate glanced out the window where he saw Lilly Marquette and a nurse load William Boone into her shuttle, the last thing he saw before being carried off was the shuttle rise into the air before flying off."

**Taelon Mothership**

**Earth Orbit.**

"And that led us here. Its our hope to stop Ba'al and his fleet before he can re-establish his empire." Daniel finished his summary of their history. For the past five hours Daniel with interjections from the rest of SG-1 told the lengthy story of their first encounters with the Goa'uld to the present. As he spoke the Taelons and even Sandoval listened with rapt attention as Daniel went on to detail the rise of Earth, their encounters with the Tollan to the fall of the Goa'uld and the replicators and the establishment of the free Jaffa nation to their current situation. Despite SG-1's honesty however the Taelons were quickly able to discern that their guests were omitting certain facts. But even so what they did tell the Taelons was truly astounding.

"Truly remarkable." Da'an said with evident praise. "In ten years time you have accomplished much to be proud of." SG-1 smiled at Da'ans praise. "At the same time however I find some of what you have told us to be disturbing."

"In what way Da'an?"

"For instance your government's insistence on maintaining the Stargate as a secret project. Would not disclosure act as the means to unite your world to fight the Goa'uld?"

"The US government has already disclosed the Stargate program to its allies as well as members of the UN security council. What became of that disclosure and the subsequent treaty that followed was the International Oversight Advisory or IOA. Its a way for our Allies to contribute in ongoing Stargate operations in providing international oversight, military and scientific personnel, technology transfers, and ongoing scientific research. Its not perfect but our leaders widely view it as a good first step. As for the general public at large." Carter hesitated briefly. "We've wanted to go public for a while now. But our leaders felt, and the IOA would later come to agree that to do so would only result in mass panic, particularly as the Goa'uld still represent a threat to us." She shrugged. "No matter how remote."

"This leads us to why we're here." Mitchell added. "Ba'al is the only System Lord with the means and intelligence to become a big problem in the future."

"You refer to his arrival in our universe to rebuild his empire." Da'an said.

"Yup, as far as the Goa'uld go its an original idea." Mitchell answered. "The other System Lords have either already fallen or wont last the next few weeks against the Free Jaffa's campaign against them. But Ba'al has sort of slipped through the cracks and we're here to plug the leak."

"With only one ship?" Zo'or asked incredulously. The members of SG-1 shared a look before Daniel took up the uncomfortable subject.

"If necessary we would go it alone, but that's another thing we wanted to talk to you about. You see if Ba'al is allowed to rebuild uncontested he will become a major threat in this universe and I somehow doubt that the Earth we are orbiting has anything that could stand up to him."

"You are quite correct Dr. Jackson. Earth does not posses the capability to build ships or weapons such as the ones you posses. The matter is only complicated that much more due to the fact that the Militaries of the world have largely been dismantled" Da'an revealed, a fact that stunned SG-1 to the core.

"As Ba'al grows stronger he's going to need manpower and resources not to mention worshippers in order for his empire to grow. And I'm sorry to say that Earth is probably going to be one of the first places he decides to look up." Carter related. "An unsuspecting world, with limited defenses, rich in potential slaves is something _no_ Goa'uld could pass up, not to mention if he gets wind of some of the technology you've provided. He definitely wont pass that up."

"Earth is protected by the Taelons Colonel Carter. We would destroy his fleet long before it posed a threat." Zo'or said with confidence bordering on arrogance.

"I'm glad to hear that." Mitchell smiled tightly. "But don't you think it would be better to find and eliminate him before he became a threat?"

"That is not _our_ problem Colonel Mitchell." Zo'or said pointedly. "It is yours. This problem does not concern the Taelons."

"Do not misunderstand." Da'an interjected quickly. "It does not mean that we are not amenable to helping you, but for the kind of commitment of resources you are asking will require the approval of the Synod as well as proof of your claim that the Goa'uld have indeed returned."

"We understand." Daniel said in understanding. As if on cue a chime followed by a holo display activated above the table with the face of one of the technicians SG-1 had seen earlier.

"You have something to report?" Quo'on asked.

"Yes Quo'on. We have finished our analysis of the shuttle; there were no bombs or infectious agents present. We also did a comparison of the shuttles technology with known Goa'uld technology in the Taelon archives. It matches perfectly, though it appears to be far more advanced than what we have on record." Quo'on closed the channel with a wave of his hand. SG-1 and Narim watched in fascination as each Taelon turned translucent for a moment before regaining their composure.

"I take it you believe us now?" Daniel asked almost hopefully.

"Let us just say Dr. Jackson that we are more receptive to your story." Zo'or said.

"You know I noticed it earlier in our previous communiqué but didn't want to comment on it till now. You've had dealings with the Goa'uld before haven't you?" Daniel asked.

"Indeed Dr. Jackson." Zo'or answered. "Da'an and Quo'on through practical experience while I posses the genetic memories of that experience."

"What happened?" Carter asked.

Da'an took up the story. "More than three thousand of your years ago the Goa'uld controlled a vast expanse of this Galaxy. The Taelon scientist Ma'el was making his way to Earth to study humanity when he encountered them. Ma'el was appalled at the horrors and atrocities the Goa'uld committed to their human slaves in the name of their divinity, but he could do nothing to stop it. Eventually at his insistence an expedition of Taelon ships was dispatched to free the human slaves and end the Goa'uld hold of this galaxy. The Campaign against them was brief thanks to an Alliance established with a race known as the Asgard." SG-1 shared a look when Da'an related that part of the story.

"I see you are familiar with them." Da'an said as he observed the knowing looks between SG-1.

"Oh yeah, we know of the Asgard." Daniel smiled. during the recounting of their tale SG-1 had decided not to reveal the nature of their relationship with the Asgard. In their home universe Asgard technology was coveted above all others (save those few enemies that knew of the equally potent Ancient technology). If it somehow became known that the SGC was allied with the Asgard it wouldn't take long for the Taelons (or anyone else for that matter) to put two and two together concerning the advanced technology onboard their ship. In the past it had proven to be a prudent decision to keep such information to themselves, a policy the SGC wisely continued to this day.

"With our two races working together the Goa'uld empire collapsed rapidly. Their slaves were freed and returned to Earth and their legacy erased from existence. Even their homeworld today remains uninhabitable due to the heavy bombardment of their planet to make sure they never rose again."

"What happened after that?" Narim asked.

"Matters within our own Galaxy forced us to recall our forces but Ma'el continued his journey to Earth to study its people and cultures. It would be where he would spend the remainder of his life before passing to the next plane of existence." Da'an related with a hint of sadness.

"I'm sorry to hear that." Daniel said in sympathy, Da'an bowed his head slightly in acceptance.

"By what means did this System Lord arrive within our universe?" Quo'on asked.

Narim took up this particular part of the story. "For many years on Tollana we have been working on a means of crossing the dimensional barrier to explore worlds within the known multiverse. For years our efforts met with failure after failure until a month ago. Just after our lead scientists concluded their successful tests the Goa'uld launched an attack on our colony world where we were researching the device. In the ensuing battle they stole the device and massacred the colony."

"A regrettable loss of life." Da'an said sadly. "You have my sympathy and that of the Synod."

"Thank you Da'an."

"How can you be certain that this system lord arrived within this universe?" Zo'or asked.

"I must insist on this as well." Quo'on spoke up. "To verify that this Goa'uld is in fact truly here if we are to take action against him."

SG-1 and Narim shared a questioning look, they hadn't wanted to expose their source aboard Ba'al's ship just yet but if they wanted the Taelons help it seemed they were going to have to come clean.

Teal'c answered. "There is a Tok'ra operative aboard Ba'al's mothership who provided us with the details of Ba'al's escape to include the universe he departed to. He is here, we are certain of it."

The members of the Synod shared a brief communion through the commonality, they were clearly divided on the matter; some wanting to aid SG-1 while others demanded more proof before intervening. Clearly more debate was needed before a consensus could be reached.

"I believe that is all for today." Quo'on said with a sense of finality. "We have much to discuss on this matter."

"Of course Quo'on, we didn't expect any sort of agreement so soon." Daniel accepted.

"Throughout our dialogue I believe you have spoken truthfully. I will speak to President Thompson and brief him and the Joint Chiefs on this matter, they will surely be intrigued."

"And what about us?" Mitchell asked.

"You and your ship will be free to remain in Earth orbit for as long as you need, I do not foresee a problem convincing President Thompson to grant you sanctuary for as long as you are here." With that Quo'on rose as did everyone else in the room before turning away and departing with Zo'or and Da'an. With their departure Agent Sandoval stepped forward.

"If you'll follow me please I'll escort you back to your shuttle." SG-1 turned to follow him knowing they had just crossed the first of many hurdles to come.

**Liberation Headquarters**

**New York United States **

**Earth.**

The doors to the underground complex opened and a tired Lilly Marquette walked in and collapsed onto a convenient chair.

"Well, how did it go?" Augur asked from another nearby chair while toying with a Taelon three dimensional puzzle.

"It was touch and go for a while but Boone is safe at the Embassy in a new regeneration tank under guard by security answerable only to Da'an. Dr. Belman says he should be as good as new within forty eight to seventy two hours." Lilly smiled, for once feeling something go right since this latest crisis began.

"That's good to hear." Augur smiled. At that point Liam walked up with a piece of clay artwork he had worked on and happily handed it to Lilly.

"Thank you! " Lilly beamed brightly at the boy as she ran her hands through his hair affectionately. "Thanks. Look at this Augur." Lilly tapped Augur on the head to get his attention. "Is this kid amazing or what? my little brother Dan couldn't have done this when he was four."

"Hey we could sell those." Augur considered only half jokingly while still toying with the annoying Taelon puzzle in his hands.

"Stop it." Lilly Admonished. "You know what? I bet you Liam could help you with that."

"Yeah right." Augur snorted.

"Give it to him." Lilly insisted.

"Yeah ok I'd like to see you figure it out." Augur handed the complex puzzle to the boy who happily accepted it and went to work on it.

"I'm sorry kid I figured it was too tough for you." Augur teased while Lilly rubbed the fatigue out of her neck. When she looked back at Liam she and Augur were shocked to see the kid putting the last touches to the three dimensional puzzle.

"Oh yeah, way too tough." Lilly snickered as Liam handed the puzzle back to a shocked Augur.

In another part of the room Jonathan Doors watched the unfolding events with great interest as he considered his options on what to do with the boy.

"he hasn't said anything more since he was born. Do you think those first few words were a fluke?" Doors asked Dr. Parks.

"I doubt it." She answered. "Da'an told me that the Taelons are born with full genetic knowledge of their parents."

"So if Liam's race is like the Taelons that means he knows everything Beckette and Sandoval knew." Doors considered.

"And Ha'gal his father." Parks added.

"But he looks so human." Doors said in amazement, still trying to wrap his mind around the concept of a human/alien hybrid.

"Well he is, two thirds of him anyway." Parks explained. She motioned to her laptop on the table. "This is Liam's DNA, the blue strand running through it is forming a triple helix."

"And you think that's what's behind this?" Door asked as he continued to watch the boy from the other side of the room.

"Well I don't know I only have a double helix, like the rest of mankind." Parks related catching the full undivided attention of Doors.

"Which means we have no idea what he's capable of?" Doors thought darkly. Just then Liam rose with a pained look on his face and moved to the center of the room. Suddenly a white aura encased his body as he began to grow again. Parks and Doors jumped to their feet and moved closer watching with keen interest.

"Oh my God!" Lilly gasped as Liam continued to grow until he stopped by which point he looked to be in his late twenties to early thirties in appearance. Lilly continued to stare at Liam while Augur collected himself and stood up taking a nearby blanket and covered Liam. "Woo." Augur Laughed. "You didn't miss a thing, take it from me puberty sucks." Liam only glanced at Augur in response. Lilly's global began to beep incessantly and it took her a moment to snap herself out of her stupor and activate the link.

"Captain Marquette." Sandoval simply stated. "I need to see you right away. Boone's office."

"What's this about Agent Sandoval?" Lilly asked tiredly.

"Be at Boone's office and find out." Sandoval closed the channel.

It seems her day wasn't quite over yet.


End file.
